Whispers of the Dead
by Wings of the Valkyria
Summary: No one was supposed to know about his heritage as a Messenger. That was the very reason why Cloud joined Shinra, who knew that the mask he tried so hard to construct would break so easily?
1. Chapter 1

Valkyria : Hello~! This is my first Final Fantasy VII story!

Griever : We love the game very much, but never really dabbled in it. So gentle with us.

Valkyria : This is a Yaoi! Zack/Cloud. If you dislike it then please press the back button. it's there for a reason kay?

Griever : We have no ownership over the characters of Final Fantasy. Most of the themes come from the game **Folklore.**

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"_My mother always told me that I was special when I was a child, she continued to say the same thing as I grew older but I merely brushed it off thinking that's what every parent said to make their children feel good about themselves. When I turned twelve, I realized that she was right all along, I was special in everyway I could possibly think of at the time." _

_- Cloud Strife _

_Chapter One of the Chronicles of a Messenger of Gaia _

_. _

Chapter One.

Messengers of Gaia.

Walkers of the Lifestream.

Communicators of the Dead.

Cloud was all of these and even more, he wasn't an Ancient, he couldn't communicate with the dead while on the plane of the living nor could he control the energies of the Lifestream. Cloud could only enter the Lifestream and communicate with the dead while there.

He and his mother where the only surviving messengers left alive and she took an extra precaution to make sure no one in Nibelheim nor in Shinra ever found out about their legacy. When he asked why they couldn't tell anyone about their powers, she merely gave him one of her sad smiles he was so used to seeing and replied that it could lead to another tragedy.

Cloud didn't dare pry about the tragedy she spoke of.

When he turned fourteen he joined Shinra -much to the despair of his mother- this lead to many arguments in which he defended that someone Shinra was looking for would never willingly join their ranks so he joined to keep Shinra's eyes away from his mother.

He was so nervous, but after months of training and no sign of some of the higher ranked soldiers bursting into his barracks and dragging him into the science department. Cloud slowly but surely started to relax.

That is until he met SOLIDER 1st Class Zack Fair.

Everything he tried so hard to keep under wraps was starting to fall apart piece by piece.

They were sitting in the briefing room on the SOLDIER floor, something Cloud was excited about because he had only seen Zack's apartment on the SOLIDER floor, he wasn't allowed anywhere else.

"So, let me get this straight Professor Hojo." Zack spoke up after the scientist finished his request. "You want us to find a race that could most likely be extinct?"

Hojo's black beady eyes flashed behind his somewhat tacky glasses. "Once _again _Mr. Fair, the messengers of Gaia are not extinct! They are merely in hiding from Shinra. I want you to take a team and find the last remaining messengers and bring them here so I could analyze them."

_Analyze? _Cloud frowned deeply at Hojo's choice of words. He and his mother wasn't something Hojo could analyze they weren't some kind of animals!

"What are these messengers Professor?" Sephiroth asked, his deep smooth voice sending shivers down Cloud's spine effortlessly. It never failed to do so.

Hojo took off his glasses and wiped them off with a semi-clean cloth before sliding them back on. "The Messengers of Gaia are a race of people that can enter the Lifestream while still alive and can communicate with the dead, several hundred years ago many of these massagers existed and did a good service for the people by relaying things to their departed loved ones."

"They could go into the Lifestream? _Alive?_" disbelief was clear in Zack's voice. "That-that isn't possible Professor-"

"Anything is possible these days boy!" Hojo snapped impatiently. "I believe in cold hard facts rather than the myth of the Messengers but if we find one than…."

The Lifestream was _packed_ full of departed souls some from thousands of years ago, his mother always told him that very wise people still resided in the Lifestream this very day instead of being reborn into the world.

"An ocean of information…." Cloud muttered loudly, all eyes shot towards him with bemusement -except Hojo who was looking slightly impressed-

"Exactly cadet." Hojo replied. "If we can obtain an messenger, than we can force him or her into the Lifestream to obtain information on events and even locations of certain artifacts."

"What happened to them?" Bryant, another SOLIDER Cadet asked curiously. Cloud managed to hold back a wince at the innocent question, he never bothered to ask his mother what had happened to their people.

The pain reflected in her eyes always made him hesitate.

"The records say that the Goddess Minerva was displeased by the messengers and wiped them from existence in a single night, but I find such a story unconvincing they must've been massacred by foolish people who most likely began to fear their powers."

Even though it was a horrible way to look at it. Hojo's theory was much more plausible than what the legends stated in Cloud's opinion.

Why would the goddess suddenly be displeased with his people? It made no sense at all.

"And if we don't find one?" Zack bit out.

Hojo looked smug and put his hands behind his back and began walking out of the briefing room. "Than I shall simply move on to something more worthwhile, but I have feeling you'll find at least one of them. You SOLIDER are at least good at finding things, turning tailcoat seems to be an awfully popular pastime these days…."

The temperature in the room dropped sharply at that comment. Cloud turned his gaze to Zack, to see that he was now wearing a blank expression.

"…he never really told us where were supposed to be looking." Cloud spoke up timidly.

"Nothing to worry about Cadet Strife," Sephiroth spoke up smoothly. "Everything is in the file that the Professor left behind."

"Where are we supposed to be going?" Zack cut in bitterly. Cloud shook his head, knowing his best friend was still upset at Hojo's comment about SOLDIERS deserting.

"Cosmo Canyon, their elders should know something about the messengers but I doubt they'll point us in the right direction."

"Well," Zack stood up from his chair and stretched. "Let's get going!"

Cloud watched warily as Sephiroth, Zack and his fellow SOLDIER Cadet Bryant, left the briefing room with an air displeasure.

"Now what am I supposed to do?"

He only hoped that the people of Cosmo Canyon did indeed point Shinra in the wrong direction, he would have to speak to Bugenhagen in private when they arrived.

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Valkyria : Well? Like it? Hate it? give us your honest opinion.

Griever : See you in Chapter Two


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer : No ownership over Final Fantasy VII nor any of it's characters. Nor do I own any aspects of the game Folklore.**

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**Chapter Two : Flames of the Past.**

Getting to Cosmo Canyon took only four days of non-stop travel, when they arrived, they were greeted by an wary guard.

"What business does Shinra have here?" the guard spoke up once they were within earshot.

"We're merely here for information-gathering." Sephiroth explained calmly. This didn't seem to relax the guard, if anything it made the man even more wary.

"Information?" the guard drawled sarcastically. "Surely can't be Studies of the Planet, Shinra doesn't give a damn about Gaia."

"Please," Cloud spoke up causing every eye to turn to him. "Can't you let us in just for today? That's all the time we need to acquire the information."

The guard stared at him intently for a moment before nodding. "Very well, but only two of you may pass. The rest will have to wait outside."

"You can't be serious!" Zack protested with a scowl. "We've been traveling for days! We're not going to cause you any trouble."

The guard released a bitter laugh that sent chills down Cloud's spine. "You? Don't cause any trouble? _please_ Shinra is the very epitome of trouble. Now, choose two out of your party to enter."

"Cadet Strife," Sephiroth spoke up. "You and Lieutenant Fair will gather any valuable information you and report back in the morning."

Cloud saluted. "Yes sir!"

Sephiroth turned to Zack, who was still wearing a scowl on his handsome features. "Zack, I'm counting on you but it's of no consequence to me if you don't find anything I could care less."

Cloud wanted to jump in joy at the General's words, it would be less trouble for him in the long run if they didn't find anything!

Zack 's broad shoulders shook with laughter before he calmed down enough and gave Sephiroth a mock salute.

"Yes sir!" Zack turned towards Cloud with a wide grin.

"Come on Cadet Strife!"

Cosmo Canyon was a tranquil place, the only noise was the cracking of firewood from the bonfire in the middle of the village and the quiet mummers from the bar not to far away. Cloud had visited the village when he was still a child with his mother one summer to meet the elder Bugenhagen.

"Looks like you've been here before," Zack commented quietly. Cloud turned to see Zack staring at him quietly with a small smile on his face.

"Yes, I have." Cloud admitted reluctantly. "With my mother when I was a child. How could you tell?"

Zack released a low chuckle which caused Cloud to flush under his helmet. "You have this nostalgic air about you for one, Angeal told me I get that way when I start thinking of Gongaga."

Cloud's stomach dropped at the mention of Zack's former mentor, who had died by Zack's hand no less than year ago.

Zack never really showed it, but Cloud could tell that he was still grieving.

"Well!" Zack spoke up stretching his arms. "Let's get started! Don't want to keep Sephiroth and Cadet Bryant waiting too long do we?"

"Of course not." the very thought of having General Sephiroth waiting was not only rude to someone of his caliber but also embarrassing.

"Enthusiastic as always." Zack chuckled reached forward to clamp his hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Since you've been here before, you've talked to the elder right?"

"Yes. Elder Bugenhagen…but Zack wouldn't it be better if you talked to him?"

"Nah." Zack shook his head. "I'll probably end up offending him and besides, it never hurts to take the initiative once in awhile right?"

"I guess…" Cloud trailed off hesitantly. "What are you going to do?"

Zack jerked his head in the direction of the Pub and grinned. "I'll gather information there and get me one of their specialties…"

"Cosmo Candles." Cloud put in helpfully with a grin. "Some Lieutenant General …drinking on the job."

"Hey!" Zack protested with a pout. "I work very hard I'll have you know and how did you know what the drink is called anyways."

"Kind of obvious with that sign over there." Cloud snickered.

Zack turned and groaned with embarrassment, there next to the inn was a sign in big black letters.

"_**Come try our specialty drink Cosmo Candle! Named after our guardian fire!" **_

"Okay! Okay! Enough with the teasing Cloud. Let's get the info and get out of here."

Giving Zack one more smirk, Cloud quickly climbed the stairs and walked through the entrance only to encounter a dark haired woman standing behind a weapons stall.

"Welcome-" the woman stopped once she saw his uniform, her cheerful smile turned into a ugly scowl.

"What does Shinra want in these parts?" the weapons seller demanded.

Cloud removed his helmet and held it under his arm. "My name is Cloud Strife ma'am and I'm looking for Elder Bugenhagen."

"Aren't you Freya's child…-I recognize those eyes and hair anywhere-why I haven't seen her in years. But, why are you in Shinra..?"

"To protect her." Cloud didn't want to give too much away, especially since Zack could pop up at anytime.

"I see…I see. Well! Why don't you go up the ladder and head up to the observatory to see him. You remember where it is?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Pulling his helmet back on, Cloud climbed the ladder and to the exit in front of him, climbing another set of stairs and ladders. Cloud finally arrived in the room next to the Observatory.

"Elder Bugenhagen?"

"Ho Ho Hoooo look who it is!"

Cloud removed his helmet to see an old man hovering on an green crystal ball. He couldn't help but smile at the eccentric elder.

"It's good to see you again Elder-"

"Ho Ho Hoooo no need for such formalities Cloud! Call me Grandfather or just Bugenhagen! Now tell me, what brings you to Cosmo Canyon?"

Cloud was surprised that Bugenhagen didn't mention that he was in Shinra, it was possible that his mother still kept contact with the elder.

"Information, unfortunately on Professor Hojo's orders."

"And what information what would Shinra be looking for child..?"

Cloud bit his lips and turned away from Bugenhagen's searching gaze. "Messengers."

"I see, it is ironic is it not child? You joined that organization to keep their eyes away from your mother and now they have finally set their sights on you at long last."

"What am I going to do Bugenhagen?" Cloud asked warily. "I can't go back to my commanders and tell them nothing at all.."

"Ho Ho Hoooo of course you can Cloud! From what I've learned of Hojo, he won't be too interested in the Messengers. But is there something that you don't know about them?"

"What happened to us? Why were we wiped out? Was it really the Goddess Minerva."

"That's what the archives here say. There are no other records than that I'm afraid."

If that was true, then why did his mother eyes hold so much pain whenever he asked what happened to his people? If it was that simple then why didn't she just explain it to him.

No, he didn't believe that Minerva wiped them out. Something else did.

"What would happen if we were forced to enter the Lifestream unwillingly?" Cloud asked curiously.

"You would become extremely weak and disoriented, I believe your mother told you about all seven levels of the Lifestream correct?"

"Yes."

"If you were forced, it would be a large possibility that you would enter the core of the Planet instead one of those seven levels. You must be at peace with your mind and soul when you are entering the Lifestream, the stress that you would feel if you were forced would be disastrous to you."

"I see, Thank you for telling me this Bugenhagen."

"Ho Ho Hoooo no problem at all Cloud!"

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"Messengers? I've heard of them before, anyone who studies of Planet Life has but unfortunately none of the messengers exist."

Zack frowned heavily and leaned against the bar. "Do the Elders know anything?"

The bartender shook his head. "The only thing the Elders know is what in the archives and legend has it that the Goddess Minerva wiped out the messengers a long time ago."

Zack cursed under his breath, that was the same thing that Hojo told them at the briefing and that damned professor was going to talk his ear off if they didn't come back with anything.

"That's it?" Zack asked one more time. "No one knows anything else about the Messengers?"

"Sorry Mr. SOLIDER, nothing else."

Zack shrugged and slid off the stool. "Thanks for your time."

He walked out of the Pub and spotted Cloud near the fire, seeing the dead look in the younger man's eyes. Zack wondered what happened.

"Cloud!"

"Zack did you find anything?"

"No." Zack responded his tone bitter. "Nothing at all. What about you? Anything with Elder Bugenhagen?"

"He just told me about the legends and Professor Hojo already knows about that. So, what do we do now?"

"What else? Report back to Sephiroth."

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- End Chapter Two-


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : I Claim no right to Final Fantasy VII nor it's characters.**

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**Chapter Three : Diving In.**

Reporting nothing back to General Sephiroth was nothing short of disappointing and embarrassing to Cloud as an infantryman, but he couldn't help but feeling absolutely relieved when Sephiroth pressed them no further about the matter.

"What are we going to tell Professor Hojo?" Zack asked.

They had thanked the guard -Cloud didn't think he deserved it- and had gathered their supplies and were on their way back to Midgar.

"Nothing." Sephiroth smooth, emotionless voice came back. "We can not help it if the people of Cosmo Canyon had nothing to give us."

Bryant nudged him with his elbow. "So? What was it like working with Commander Fair?"

Cloud shrugged and removed his helmet, it was starting to get hot, "He was very professional, I just wish that I was in combat with him instead of gathering info."

"True." Bryant agreed enviously. "He'll probably leaves us in the dust if we did fight beside him, I won't even imagine if we were beside General Sephiroth."

Cloud didn't want to imagine either.

"So, the both of you didn't find anything? No luck from the elders?"

"None," Cloud replied with no remorse, he was going to count his blessings even more if Hojo was merely going to brush the whole project off and move onto other things.

"That sucks." Bryant winced with sympathy. "Hojo is going to talk Commander Fair and General Sephiroth's ears off."

Cloud was just happy that it wasn't going to be him that was going to be punished. Sure, he felt sorry for the General and Zack.

But in the end, all that matter was that Hojo found out nothing about the messengers.

"Cadet Strife."

"Yes General sir?"

"You live near here correct?"

Looking out the only window, Cloud saw familiar plains and mountains rolling by.

"Yes sir, Nibelheim, my hometown, is near here."

"Awesome, feel like stopping by Cadet?" Zack questioned.

"…Aren't we supposed to heading back to Midgar as soon as possible sirs?" Bryant hesitant voice cut in. "What about Professor Hojo-"

"Screw Professor Hojo." Zack interrupted casually. "It's hot and stuffy in this damn truck and I want to stop for a bit."

"It this alright with you Cadet Strife?" Sephiroth asked. "It would be nice to get out and stretch our legs for a day or so."

"Of course I don't mind!" Cloud blurted out quickly. "But are you sure we should? This will delay us even further? Director Lezard will be angry will he not?"

"Director Lezard isn't too fond of Professor Hojo." Zack informed him with a grin. "He favored Professor Hollander and Gast."

"Weren't Hojo and Hollander fighting over for the position of Head of the Science Department?" Bryant piped up curiously.

"That information isn't well-known." Sephiroth said giving Bryant a suspicious glance. "How did it reach the infantry ears?"

"Relax Sephiroth, you know how the rumor mill is at Shin-RA, remember that one that was going around about me being married?"

Cloud barely managed to hold his laughter, he remembered that rumor very clearly. Zack had complained to him various times about it and told him that even Director Lezard had asked him if he had gotten tied down.

"Alright then! Since Cadet Strife doesn't mind, to Nibelheim we go!"

They arrived at Nibelheim five hours later, the driver looked slightly relieved when Sephiroth told him that they would be stopping for the day. Driving for four days straight would wear out anyone.

"This is your hometown huh?" Bryant commented from beside him. "Small and quaint…"

"In other words you mean it's down right boring compared to Midgar." Cloud muttered sarcastically. "You never told where you're from-"

"Costa Del Sol." Bryant drawled with a smirk. "Hot weather and half-naked ladies all day long, a mans paradise."

"A rich mans paradise you mean, it must've expensive to live there."

"Nah, it was expensive to tourist, it five-hundred gil an night for the hotels there."

"It's peaceful here." Sephiroth commented idly while looking around. "Do you mind showing us where the nearest Inn is Cadet Strife."

"Oh! Yes sir! If you'll follow me."

Leading them to the Inn on the west side of town, Cloud couldn't help but feel as if he were being watched. He wouldn't put it past the people of this town to do something like that and it was an unofficial visit that Shin-RA would not doubt hear about from the mayor.

Casting a quick glance at his own house, Cloud turned and pushed the wooden door the Inn open and allowed his teammates to go first.

"Welcome! It's hundred and fifty gil for rooms….Shin-RA? What are you guys doing here?"

Sephiroth stared the smaller man down, "We need three rooms and we are just for the day. Shin-RA has no business with Nibelheim currently."

"Currently?" the Inn keeper spat. "The mayor will hear about-"

"It would be best if you calmed down sir." Zack spoke quietly. "We just need three rooms for the night that's all."

The Inn-keeper remained silent before nodding his head and handing them three keys. "Upstairs and to the right, and remember, you said no trouble."

"As I stated before." Sephiroth responded firmly. "We will cause no trouble and I will go contact the mayor after my subordinates have settled in."

"Hey, why don't you go visit you mom." Zack whispered in his ear. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"Are you sure that's okay?"

"Of course it is!" Zack chirped slapping his hand against Cloud's back. "I'm second-in-command and what I say goes as well, so take your things and go and I handle Sephiroth."

"You know," Cloud teased softly adjusting his pack. "That sounded kind of dirty, you'll handle Sephiroth?"

Cloud released a loud peal of laughter and lunged out the door as Zack took a swing at him.

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_Just as quiet as I remembered…_

Nibelheim hadn't changed at all, if anything, it was more peaceful. The pathways were mostly empty, children from his past gone to bigger towns and villages to make something of themselves.

"Cloud?"

Turning, he spotted a familiar ebony-haired woman with red-brown eyes and full lips.

"Tifa." he acknowledged with a small smile. "It's been too long."

Tifa Lockhart smiled, her eyes lightening up in happiness and familiarity at the sight of him, and Cloud was reminded of the silly childhood crush he once he had on her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously. "Are you on leave? Have you made it to SOLIDER yet?"

"No not yet." he responded honestly. He didn't miss the disappointment that flashed across her eyes when he said that. It made his heart give a painful lurch for letting her down.

"I've been reading the letters you've been sending me, it looks like you've made a lot of progress. I'm glad."

"Thank you." scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he nodded his head towards his home. "It's nice to see you again Tifa. We'll talk again before I leave in the morning."

"You're…only here for one day?" she asked hesitantly. "That's a short leave."

"I'm not exactly on leave." he explained. "On our way back from a mission actually."

"Mission? What was it about?"

"I'm sorry." Cloud said with a small smile. "I'm afraid I can't tell. Confidentiality and all. I'll see you later Tifa."

"Your mother invited me to dinner tonight." Tifa spoke up as he walking towards his home. "Maybe I'll see you near the well after?"

The urge to talk to an old friend, instead of a fellow colleague was an offer Cloud couldn't turn down.

"Sure."

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- End Chapter Three


	4. Chapter 4

Valkyria : I know that this isn't much of a chapter, especially since I haven't update in months, but I promise that I will try to do a better job at updating because I know that you guys are still reading this.

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to Final Fantasy or Folklore

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**Chapter Four : Heritage.**

Cloud breathed in the scent of lavender as he embraced his mother tightly. He buried his head into her shoulder and smiled.

"Oh, look at you!" Freya Strife gushed out happily. She pulled away to stare him up and down. "You've gotten so big!"

Cloud felt his face flush lightly at the pride in his mother's voice. "I'm still short compared to my teammates."

"Not every man is made to be a hulking mass of muscle, Cloud." Freya huffed, his mother pulled him towards the table next to the fireplace and sat him down rather roughly. He had forgotten that she was stronger than she looked.

"How are you doing in Shinra?" Cloud didn't miss the venom in her voice when she mentioned the company. It seemed like that particular trait hadn't changed.

"It's going fine." Cloud replied dutifully. "There are some really good people there."

Freya raised a slim eyebrow at that. "Oh really? And who are these good people?"

"Zack Fair and General Sephiroth."

"The GREAT General Sephiroth?" Freya cocked her head to the side. "You've worked with him before? He didn't notice anything strange about you did he?"

Cloud reached across the table to grab his mother's hands. "No, of course not. He didn't notice a thing."

Freya's shoulders slumped in relief, and she gripped her son's hands in return. "That's good. Who is this Zack Fair?"

"He's a SOLIDER First Class like Sephiroth, except he isn't as strong as Sephiroth, though he is powerful."

Freya raised an eyebrow. "Cloud Strife is that admiration I hear in your voice? I must really meet this Zack Fair now."

"And embarrass me?" Cloud countered with a cheeky grin. "No can do, mother."

To his surprise, Freya smirked and winked at him. "I can just meet him in the morning then. You are a heavy sleeper and it takes an army to wake you up."

"I ran into Tifa," Cloud began, smoothly switching the subject. "You invited her over for dinner tonight?"

"Yes." Freya rose from her chair and made her way to the small kitchenette. "We have been talking a lot since you left for Shinra. You would be surprised about how much she talks about you. She looks in the newspaper everyday to see if there's word about you."

Cloud closed his eyes as his cheeks flushed a deep red. His mother never failed to tease him when she found out about his crush on Tifa.

"Does she? That's surprising to hear."

"Isn't it?" he could his mother placing something on the stove, probably tea. "It's definitely convenient that you decided to visit; now you two can catch up."

"Yeah," he replied half-heartedly. It wasn't that he still didn't like Tifa -he still did, in fact- it was just that he didn't like her as much as he did when he left.

He had a chance to meet other people who didn't hate him or judge him because he lived alone with his mother.

He had a chance to meet and befriend someone like Zack Fair.

"You don't sound too happy that she's coming over," Freya walked back towards the table with a tray of tea and cookies and placed them down on the small table.

"I am, but she's going to be disappointed I haven't made it into SOLDIER yet-"

"Who cares? And besides, you're not exactly aiming for SOLIDER, are you? You joined the company for an entirely different reason."

"To protect us," Cloud finished, smiling at his mother who looked slightly disgruntled. "To keep our secret safe."

Freya leaned forward and gently tapped him on his arm. "And you've done a fine job of that, but you still haven't told me why you're here, Cloud."

Cloud swallowed heavily before replying. "We were coming back from Cosmo Canyon. We were investigation Messengers."

As the cadet expected, a long, heavy silence followed his reluctant confession. Another moment passed before Freya released a heavy, exhausted sigh.

"Did you find anything of use?"

"No," Cloud shook his head, and gave his mother a bitter smirk. "Bugenhagen told me nothing and the elders and people of Cosmo Canyon had nothing new to give Shinra."

"Bless that old man," Freya chuckled. "He definitely knows when to keep quiet."

"That he does," Cloud agreed with a grin on his lips, before letting it drop. "Though something's been bother me."

Concern flashed across his mother's luminous blue eyes. "What is it, Cloud?"

"What…" Cloud bit his lips before starting again. "What really happened to us? What happened to the messengers?"

Again, he wasn't in the least bit surprised when his mother's eyes showed pain and hesitation. Cloud would have dropped the subject immediately at seeing that look, but he couldn't afford to this time.

Shinra had come too close to finding them.

"It.." Freya began heavily. "It wasn't Minerva that wiped us out. We had all the respect in the world for the Goddess and she gave the same respect to us in kind. We messengers were a quiet people. We did our duty and gave the peace that the people craved. We eased their grief by telling their departed loved ones their last words.

It wasn't until the annual Gathering, where the Cetra and Messengers would meet up each year to renew our treaty, that our troubles began. Something landed in the northern region of Gaia, near the Cetra capital. No one knew what it was, but it had wounded Gaia very badly and wiped out a number of people so a team of messengers and Cetra were sent to investigate, and…."

"They never came back." Cloud finished solemnly.

"Something turned them into monsters," Freya whispered fearfully, she placed her arms waist and shivered. "The stories that my parents told me were something not even your worse nightmares could conjure up. Both messengers and Cetra were wiped out because of this monster or disease, whatever you want to call it."

"Did anyone see this monster?" Cloud asked, reaching over and grabbing his mother's hands in an silent apology. "Saw what it looked like?"

"No." Freya replied softly. "No one survived long enough to give a good description. What will you do now?"

"Stay one step ahead of Hojo and Shinra." Cloud responded. "There is a fifty-fifty chance that he's will drop the project when we report that we didn't find anything."

That wasn't exactly a lie, he knew that Professor Hojo would throw a fit that would make a five year old jealous before giving up on his latest project and moving on to something more worthwhile. He also knew that Hojo would throw their report away and use his own resources to check before finally giving up.

Either way, he would have to stay one step ahead, and avoid Hojo even more than he did now.

"That's better than nothing." Freya broke their clasped hands and slowly rose from her chair. "Now that I have told you what you always wanted, I want something in return."

"Anything."

"Go invite this Zack Fair and General Sephiroth to dinner."

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A/N : Again, sorry for the extremely short chapter, but it's better than nothing, right? Next Chapter, Cloud, Tifa, Zack and Sephiroth sit down for dinner. Tense and awkward much?


	5. Chapter 5

A/N : I claim no rights to Final Fantasy VII. I just own the plot.

Current Song : New World by Charice.

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**Chapter Five : Two SOLDIERS and a Cadet.**

Asking General Sephiroth to dinner was one of the most awkward things that Cloud had to do in his life, but surprisingly enough, the general accepted the invitation.

Inviting Zack was much easier to do. His friend was much more laid back and easier to approach than Sephiroth was, the older man happily agreed to dinner and said that he couldn't wait to hear what stories that his mother had to tell about his childhood.

Cloud held back his embarrassment when Zack said that. He didn't particularly have a happy childhood in Nibelheim and the only reason that he would even bother coming back was because of his mother.

If his thoughts towards Tifa would not have dissipated then he would have a second reason to return here, but the urge to gain her attention, her love, was gone and Cloud had no desire to gain it back.

After inviting Zack and Sephiroth to dinner, Cloud spent the rest of the day running errands and doing chores for his mother who was definitely taking advantage of him being home; even if it was merely for a day.

The air between them was more clear now that he knew what really happened to his people. His mother no longer had the look of pain in her eyes when she talked about the messengers, but instead it was one of pride.

Handing the gil over to the clerk of the general store, Cloud murmured a thank you before leaving out the door only to bump into something solid.

"Doing some shopping for tonight?" an amused voiced asked cheerfully.

Cloud looked up to see Zack looking down at him with a light hearted grin. He felt his own lips pull into a smile. Zack's smiles or grins were always infectious to anyone around him.

"Yeah," he replied, chuckling when Zack peered into the bag curiously. "I hope you didn't mind the sudden invitation. My mother can be stubborn when she wants."

"Not at all," Zack cut in smoothly. "It's been a while since I've had a home cooked meal."

Cloud's shoulders sunk with relief. "And General Sephiroth?"

"He definitely won't mind," Zack leaned closer as if he was telling him a secret. "I don't think he's really had home cooking before…"

"Seriously?"

"No joke," Zack frowned thoughtfully. "I remember Angeal telling me that he took Sephiroth with him to Banora, his hometown, to meet his mom, but that was such a long time ago.."

Cloud felt a rising sense of pity for the General, hearing this made him realize that because General Sephiroth was a hero, one of the most powerful person on Gaia, did not make him less human than anyone else.

"Well," Cloud spoke up, giving Zack a wider smile. "We'll have to make sure that he feels welcome tonight, right?"

Zack chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Right,"

It wasn't until when the stars were hovering over Nibelheim that his mother finally met his commander officers.

He would later remember this night with amusement because it was the first time he had seen his mother flush like a love struck teenager at the sight of Sephiroth.

"My goodness," Freya breathed as she looked up at Sephiroth that night. She stepped aside to let the both of them into her home. She had imagined Sephiroth to be tall or dashing, despite the fact that he was apart of Shinra, she could see why men and women flocked to him like birds.

"I must thank you for inviting me to dinner, Ms. Strife." Sephiroth nodded his head politely.

"Yeah," Zack piped up, staring at the array foods on the table just a few feet away. "Thank you, Ms. Strife!"

Freya gave Zack a look of fond exasperation. "Lieutenant Fair? My son has told me about you…and your bottomless pit of a stomach."

Cloud instantly flushed to from roots of his hair to the nape of his neck. "Mom!"

Before Zack could reply to that, a soft, feminine voice came from behind them. Cloud stood from his chair and made his way to door.

"Tifa?"

Tifa looked slightly uncomfortable when she saw Zack and Sephiroth standing nearby. She smiled shyly and stepped closer to him in an almost pathetic attempt to disappear from the older SOLDER's eyes.

"Come on in dear," Freya soothed. "You can help bring in the rest of the dishes that I've prepared."

Cloud didn't blame Tifa from disappearing into the kitchen area as fast as she did, Zack and Sephiroth, though on different levels of power, were both intimidating in their own right.

"Thanks for coming, sirs." Cloud waved a hand at the table that housed five chairs. "Why don't you take a seat and we can start eating."

Soon enough, all of them were seated at the table with Tifa and his mother sitting by each other, and with him, Zack and Sephiroth on the other side.

Zack picked up the fork and small knife to start cutting into the steak. "This looks great, Ms. Strife." he brought a piece of steak to his mouth and moaned lightly. "good too,"

Freya smiled and turned to Sephiroth who was chewing slowly with a thoughtful expression. "Mr. Sephiroth? Is it okay?"

Sephiroth swallowed and slowly met Freya's eyes. "This is exquisite, Ms. Strife."

If Cloud didn't know his mother and the fact that she was sometimes a stifle for manners and reputation, then she would have been clapping her hands in delight.

"Thank you," Freya flushed lightly. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"You have to tell us, Ms. Strife," Zack chimed in. "tell us some stories about when Cloud was a kid."

Cloud tensed and sent his mother a pleading look from across the table, but much to his despair, his mother only gave him a sly smile before turning her attention to Zack.

"Well, Cloud was a quiet child, I'm afraid." Freya chuckled warmly. "but he had a love of magic."

"I can see that," Zack leaned forward with interested eyes. "he's one of the best materia users in his class right now."

"Really?" Tifa piped up. "Are you going to take the SOLDIER exams soon?"

"Yes," Cloud replied and flushed lightly when Tifa gave him a wide, beautiful smile. "The SOLIDER exams are next month."

"And I'm confident that you will pass," Sephiroth eyes became half-lidded when he tasted the mash potatoes that covered with gravy.

"Same here." Zack agreed. "any embarrassing stories?"

"Sir…-"

Zack gave him a confused look, but Cloud couldn't take it seriously because of the spoon that was dangling from his mouth.

"What Class are you, ?" Tifa asked curiously, staring at his uniform. "I heard there were three classes in SOLDIER…"

"Sephiroth and I are first class," Zack placed the spoon on the plate. "There's third, second and first classes, you'll know what rank you are after you take the exam."

"Most people don't hit first?"

"No," Sephiroth replied. "Most cadets who past the exam either enter third or second class."

"So First Class is rare?" Freya summarized. "Are you the only two or are there more?"

Cloud flinched when Zack and Sephiroth's faces became closed off at the question and Freya frowned and gave both of them an apologetic look.

"…I'm sorry..-"

"No, no," Zack waved his arms. "please don't apologize for something that isn't your fault, Ms. Strife."

"Ms. Strife!" Tifa chimed in happily, trying to break the sudden tension. "Why don't you tell them that story that you told me?"

Freya blinked and gave the younger woman a tolerant smile. "I tell a lot of stories dear, which one are you talking about?"

"You know? The one with the messengers!"

Cloud abruptly dropped his fork on the plate at Tifa's statement. He kept his eyes lowered but he could feel Zack and Sephiroth's eyes on him.

"Messenger story…?" Zack asked, his tone was full of curiosity.

"Yeah." Tifa glanced at Zack, Sephiroth and then Cloud in succession. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, of course not," Freya patted Tifa's hand. "I don't mind telling them the story of the messengers."

Cloud slowly lifted his gaze and met Zack's eyes. He flinched when he saw the suspicion flickered across his mentor's eyes.

Cloud wondered how such a good, light-hearted dinner could go so bad.

* * *

End Chapter Five


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII or Folklore.

* * *

**Chapter Six : Tale of the Messengers.**

Cloud shifted under Zack's and Sephiroth's unrelenting and suspicious gazes. It took every ounce of his will not to stand from the table and run out of the house.

"D-Did I say something wrong?" Tifa asked, not failing to notice the stifling and tense silence. "I thought it would be a nice story to tell…"

"You did nothing wrong, sweetheart." Freya soothed, though her eyes told an entirely different story. "I am sure that General Sephiroth and Lieutenant Fair would love to hear about the messengers."

"Yes ma'am," Zack replied, keeping his gaze on Cloud. "It's something that General Sephiroth and I would be honored to hear."

Cloud lips thinned at Zack's tone, it hurt that Zack sounded so suspicious towards him now, he knew that there were going to be risks stopping here in town because of his mother, but he couldn't have told General Sephiroth no without a good reason.

"The messengers hailed from the Icicle Inn area, but it was known as Knowlespole back then. It is said that the messengers were true children of the Goddess Minerva and that they could travel the life stream while still bound to the living.

It was their job to give messages to the dearly departed and we were even tasks to find things that were long ago lost."

"Things like what?" Zack asked curiously

"Just about anything really," Freya replied with a proud smile. "Ruins, powerful materia and even heirlooms that families wanted. Some even came up with the term "Lifestream Treasure Hunters." for a while."

"Goddess Minerva was upset about this wasn't she?" Cloud asked curiously. "She wouldn't be amused to have the messengers jumping in and out of the life stream like that."

"She was more amused than anything." Freya murmured. "She gave them the power to go into the life stream, and as long as they weren't harming the planet in any way, the she was fine with it."

"So the messengers had direct contact with the Goddess?" Sephiroth asked, giving Freya an intense stare that caused the woman to shift uncomfortably.

"Well, only the leaders of the tribe had direct contact with Minerva," Freya replied cautiously. "but, the Goddess visited every newborn child to bless them with the power to dive into the Lifestream."

"What about Fenrir?" Tifa chimed in cheerfully, secretly grateful that the tension in the room was gone for now. "You know? The leader of the messengers?"

"He wasn't mentioned very much, dear," Freya murmured regretfully. "my parents told me that he was an incredibly brave and honorable man, but unfortunately he was killed in battle."

"Did they go war or something?" Zack tilted his head, reminding Cloud of a curious puppy.

"Something along the lines," Freya responded lightly. "would anyone like dessert?"

At that statement, Cloud knew that the story about the messengers was over and subject closed for the night or probably for good.

Cherry pie with whipped cream was served and the remainder of dinner was finished in a comfortable silence that Cloud was grateful for.

"I better get home," Tifa rose from the chair and directed a smile towards Freya. "Thank you for dinner, Ms. Strife, I really appreciate it."

Freya reached over and patted Tifa's hand gently. "Your very welcome dear," she rose from her own chair and started gathering the dirty plates. "Send your father my regards."

"I will," Tifa turned to him, Sephiroth and Zack. "It was pleasure meeting you General Sephiroth and you as well Lieutenant Fair." she turned to Cloud. "I hope you will try to visit more often, Cloud."

"I'll try to." It was the best he could offer seeing how he didn't know when his next leave was going to be.

Tifa gave him a chiding look before leaving the house without a backward glance. Cloud rose from the table and made his way to the kitchen where his mother was starting the water for the dishes. "Do you need any help?"

Freya glanced over his shoulder. "No thank you, sweetheart. Why don't you escort General Sephiroth and Lieutenant Fair back to the inn?"

"Do I have to?" Cloud blurted out before he could stop himself, he reached up and covered his mouth when Freya raised an single, blonde brow at him.

"You might as well," Freya turned her back to him and continued washing. "You are leaving tomorrow and the sooner you get whatever tension there is out of the way the better off you're going to be."

"But…-" Cloud's mouth snapped shut when he felt a solid hand on his shoulder, he glanced behind him to see that it was Zack. His friend gave him a blinding grin before turning his attention to Freya.

"Thank you for dinner tonight, Ms. Strife!" he rubbed his stomach with his free hand. "It was really good."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it dear," Freya turned back to them, her hands soaked up to her elbows. "I do hope you can visit again on your free time."

"We will make sure to do that," Sephiroth appeared and stood on his left side. "have a pleasant night, Ms. Strife."

"Goodnight to all three of you, and make sure that you come visit me before you leave in the morning, alright?"

"Yes, we will."

Cloud was firmly guided out of his home and into the slightly cold air of the village with Zack and Sephiroth trailing behind him. He turned to them and held up his hands. "Zack…-"

"Are you a messenger?" Zack asked bluntly, crossing his arms and giving him a stern stare. "because it seems like you and mother know a lot more than you should."

"There is a lot of myth and legends around here," Cloud explained, not turning away from both his commanders eyes. "the tale of the messengers just happen to be one of them."

"You'll have to excuse me when I say that excuse is complete bullshit."

"I apologize if you feel that way then, Lieutenant Fair."

"Enough," Sephiroth stepped between them, he turned to Cloud with a disapproving frown on his thin lips. "the fact is that you lied to your commanding officers, Cadet Strife and that is not to be lightly."

Cloud lowered his gaze to the dirt ground. "I will take any punishment, sir."

"We're not going to punish you," Zack spoke up firmly. "but it would be nice if you didn't lie to us about something like this. Do you realize that you had us running around looking for information when you could have simply told us everything you knew?"

"I have my reasons, sir."

Zack snorted under his breath and started making his way to the inn. "I'm sure you do, Cadet Strife, I'm sure that you do."

Cloud opened his mouth to call Zack back, but quickly changed his mind. It would do him any good to try and talk to his friend while he was angry. He would try in the morning and in the meantime hope that Zack had cooled down at least a little bit.

"If you are a messenger," Sephiroth spoke, breaking his thoughts rather abruptly. "It would be in your and your mother's best interest that Hojo does not find out." Sephiroth closed his eyes briefly and opened them again. "His experiments…are not of sound mind."

Cloud swallowed thickly "…I'll will be sure to keep that in mind."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to Final Fantasy VII

* * *

Chapter Seven : Forgiveness.

The journey back to Midgar was made in awkward silence and Cloud didn't know whether he was grateful or he should be getting prepared for the storm that was going to hit once they made it back to headquarters.

Cloud carefully snuck a glance at Zack who had taken to sitting far away from him as possible which had hurt and irritated him to no end. The SOLDIER First Class was impossible to deal with when he was angry and Cloud wanted to reach across the van and shake some sense into his friend and commander.

He wanted to make Zack realize that he was doing this to protect himself and his mother from Shin-RA. That he had no choice but to hide this from everyone, even his best friend.

Cloud turned his head when he felt a finger pressed into his side. "Yeah?"

"What's up with Commander Fair?" Bryant whispered. "He's been quiet for mostly the whole ride."

Cloud shrugged and snuck a peak at Zack, who had taken to cleaning his Buster Sword. "I'm sure he's just gearing himself for telling Hojo that he couldn't find anything. You know how the Professor gets when his experiments don't go his way."

Bryant shuddered. "Don't I know it? I heard he takes it out on the Cadets and makes them fight his monster experiments."

A shiver raced down Cloud's spine at Bryant's words. He heard of Hojo's so called "experiments." from some of the older cadets and even managed to get a sneak peek while training with Zack one day.

The imagination Hojo had was something not even the most optimistic child could come up with.

"Well," Cloud whispered. "let's just hope the Professor won't be too angry about us not coming back with something."

"I'm sure he won't be too disappointed." Sephiroth spoke up, causing him and Bryant to turn to him curiously. "Hojo has a tendency to move to another experiment quickly."

"What if he doesn't?" Zack questioned quietly, but loud enough for all of them to hear. "What if he decides to dig deeper." Cloud flinched when Zack's eyes met his. "What if he decides to continue this?"

"Then it will merely be a waste of Shin-RA's money and resources." Sephiroth stated sharply. "If President Shinra sees that the project does not bear fruit then he will pull the plug."

Cloud breathed out a silent sigh of relief, but it wasn't much to his surprise when Zack caught his gaze again, having super hearing as a SOLDIER did come in handy after all.

"We really have nothing to worry about then?" Bryant asked, his voice tinged with worry. "We won't face consequences for bringing nothing back?"

"No," Sephiroth replied soothingly. "There will be no need to worry about the consequences, and even if they were any, they would take it out on Commander Fair and I since we are in charge of this mission."

"We should all take the blame," Cloud said, grinning weakly when he felt Bryant nudge him in the ribs in protest. "We all played a part in this mission."

"Spoken like a true SOLDIER." Zack chuckled, making Cloud's heart flutter at the sound of it. "but like Sephiroth said, there will be no consequences for the lack of success on this mission. It's no fault of ours if the people of Cosmo Canyon had no information to offer."

"I hope you're right, Commander." Bryant said warily.

Cloud hope that they were right too, and he also hoped that Zack and Sephiroth weren't punished for this failure.

Hojo could be a sadistic bastard.

* * *

"So you've found nothing? Nothing at all?"

Sephiroth scowled at the scientist. "I'm afraid that we were unable to find anything of use."

Hojo huffed, throwing the file containing the mission report on lab table. "Then you shouldn't have bothered writing this damned report up. It is a waste of my time."

"Waste of time or not, a report needed to be filed, Shin-RA wants to know where its SOLIDER's and Cadets are going and why."

"Where does it matter where they are going? As long as it produces results!"

Suddenly fed up with Hojo's complaining, Sephiroth lifted himself off the lab table. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Professor? I have other matters to attended to."

"No, I suppose that will be all for the day." Hojo placed his hands behind his back, and started pacing. "I will continue to research the messengers and let you know of my findings. I may need you and Commander Fair to go out again."

"Understood, good day to you, Professor."

Hojo merely waved a hand at him and returned to his current experiment, muttering under his breath about power increase and other things Sephiroth didn't care hear.

Stepping out of the lab, Sephiroth turned his head to see Zack leaning against the wall, he pulled his lips into a small, almost unnoticable smile.

"Anything?" Zack asked quietly, walking to stand beside him.

"Hojo will continue to dig into the messengers, but I doubt his search will bring bear anything meaningful or threatening to your cadet."

Zack scowled. "That's not good enough, Sephiroth, I don't want Hojo finding anything. Is there anything we can do?"

"Nothing for now," Sephiroth replied. "The only thing we can do is watch your cadet and make sure he stays out of Hojo's sight. We must never give Hojo the opportunity to discover that Cloud is one of the remaining messenger's in Gaia."

"Yeah, but that shouldn't be too hard, right?" Zack slapped his fist into his palm. "I don't think messenger's have any distinguishing features to make them different."

"I suppose you're right, but your cadet does have an intense eye color."

Zack raised an eyebrow. "Intense eye color? Did...Did you just compliment, Cloud?" Zack grinned when Sephiroth sent him a scowl. "Awwwww! Does Sephy have a wittle crush on Cloudy?"

"Enough!" Sephiroth snapped, but it was much to his frustration that his tone did little to erase the grin painted on Zack's face. "I'm merely concerned about your love interest."

Sephiroth smirked when a blush spread across Zack's cheeks. "I was teasing, but I see I've hit a sore spot for you."

Zack shrugged and lowered his eyes to the polished floor. "It's not like I can do anything about, and besides, he just thinks of me as a friend and CO."

"That's not exactly true," Sephiroth countered. "You were too busy brooding on the way back so you didn't see the way Cloud was looking at you. He was distressed at the thought of losing you as a friend, and possibly losing the opportunity to become more."

"Really?" Zack sounded skeptical. "I figured he was just upset at the thought of us telling Hojo about him."

"How can you be this oblivious and be in First Class?" Sephiroth question, raising an eyebrow at the younger man. "He was more worried about the friendship between you, but you have to understand Zack, he has been hiding his true heritage for over a decade. He joined Shin-RA for the sole reason of protecting himself and his mother. You can expect him to just blurt that out just because you two have become close."

"I know, I know!" Zack sighed forcefully. "I just, I guess I was hurt he didn't tell me. It wasn't like I was going to go to the rooftop and scream his secret out to the world. I'm his friend, I don't care if he's a messenger or not."

"Maybe you should try telling him that?" Sephiroth suggested. "I'm sure that it would make him happy hearing that."

"Yeah," Zack's eyes lit up. "Yeah, I'll go tell him right now! I'll see you later, Seph!"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes at the nickname, turning on his heel to walk back to his quarters. He needed to rest after playing matchmaker for the day.

* * *

"I heard you screwed up on a mission today, Strife, and with Commander Fair and General Sephiroth of all people."

Cloud gritted his teeth and set out to remove his helmet, he was going to ignore the ignorant assholes that were his roommates.

"Hey, Strife! I'm talking to you."

"And I'm ignoring you," Cloud shot back, throwing his helmet onto the sorry excuse for a bed. "You don't know what happened on my mission so don't go around saying I screwed up on it."

The larger cadet, James, stepped forward wearing a ugly scowl. "Oh? That's not what Bryant told everyone. He's going around telling everyone what a huge screw up that mission was."

Cloud felt a wave of hot anger towards Bryant for his big mouth. "Let him say what he wants, we did the best we could."

James stepped closer until he was in Cloud's personal space. "You're acting pretty confident now, Strife, I see hanging out with Commander Fair finally made you get some backbone."

Cloud opened his mouth to retort, when the door burst open and Zack's familiar, cheerful voice came into the room.

"Hey, Cloud! I-What's going on in here?"

A/N : Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been so busy lately! Anywho, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

Valkyria : Hey guys and gals! Early update! I usually update this story near the end of the month. But, I was in good mood so I went ahead and typed this chapter out. Enjoy

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game/anime Final Fantasy VII

* * *

Chapter Eight : Burden of Truth.

"I asked, what's going on here? Don't make me repeat myself."

Much to Cloud's relief, James took a step back and saluted sharply in Zack's direction. "We were just chatting, sir!"

"Just chatting?" Zack repeated mockingly, stepping closer and staring James down. The SOLDIER First Class was a good eight inches taller than his tormenter. "You were standing a little close for just chatting."

"It wasn't something I wanted anyone to overhear, sir!"

Zack snorted. "Cadet Johnson, isn't it?" James nodded and Zack continued, his tone more harsh and commanding. "You're a horrible liar. And your punishment for lying is to clean your entire units rifles and cafeteria duty for the next week, am I understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

Zack scowled when James made no move to leave. "Well? I don't mean tomorrow, I mean, _now." _

"Sir!"

Cloud waited until the door to the room slammed and James heavy footsteps faded away before turning to Zack with a small, weak grin.

"Thanks,"

"No problem,"

Cloud shifted under Zack's intense gaze. "Umm, is there something you wanted?" he lowered his gaze to ground when Zack tossed him a bitter smirk.

"Yeah," Zack replied quietly. "Why didn't you tell me about your heritage? I thought we were friends? Best friends."

"We are!"

"No, no, we can't be, you want to know why? Because best friends tell each other everything, Cloud. Everything."

Cloud sat heavily on the bed, wincing when it creaked loudly under his weight. "If it was just me then I would have told you, but I have my mother to worry about too."

"She was the reason you joined Shin-RA, right?"

"Yeah, she is,"

"Does Tifa know about your heritage?" Cloud's head shot up at the blunt question. "Does she?"

"No, of course not, why would I tell her?"

Zack shrugged. "I don't know, maybe to impress her? She's a beautiful girl."

Cloud's lips thinned at Zack's words. "Don't…Don't be an ass, Zack, okay? You and General Sephiroth are the only ones who know my secret. I'm not insane enough to yell it from the rooftops."

"I'm sorry, alright?" Zack ran a gloved hand through his spiky hair. "I'm just hurt you didn't tell me. I've never hidden anything from you."

"Liar," Cloud said without bite. "You've hidden plenty of things from me."

"Oh? Like what?"

Cloud placed a hand over his heart. "Like your true feelings about Angeal's death, you never told me about it or talked about how you felt."

"I…" Zack looked away. "I didn't want to unload on you about that. It was my problem."

"Right," Cloud ignored painful twist in his heart. "Just like how I don't want to burden you with my heritage as a messenger."

"It's different, Cloud!" Zack stepped closer, placing his hands on Cloud's shoulders. "The pain of Angeal's death will eventually fade, but your heritage as a messenger will always be with you. I want to help share this burden."

Shaking his head, Cloud removed Zack's hands from his shoulders and rose from the bed. "That's the problem, Zachary. I don't want to share this burden with anyone." valiantly ignoring Zack's hurt look, Cloud continued. "What if Hojo finds out that you've been keeping this from Shin-RA? He's enough of a bastard to go running to the President with this."

"He won't find out. I promise he won't."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Zack." Cloud ran a hand down his face, suddenly tired. He sincerely wished Tifa hadn't opened her big mouth and started the story about the messengers. If she hadn't then he wouldn't be here arguing with Zack.

"So," Zack's voice was emotionless at this point and it caused him to flinch. "What are you going to do now? How are you going to keep this hidden?"

"Like I've always done, I'm going to act as I've always acted. Normally."

Zack scowled at his non-chalant answer. "How much longer do you think that's going to work, huh? How much longer do you think you can evade Hojo?"

"For as long as possible." Cloud snapped, not feeling a bit sorry when Zack gave him another scowl for his tone. "I have been here for over a year, Zack. I avoided him for that long so what's another five or six or however long I choose to stay with Shin-RA."

Zack snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Have you forgotten about the complete physicals Hojo gives when you make it to SOLDIER First Class? He checks everything, Cloud and I mean_ everything_. Blood, Skin, DNA, you name it. Shin-RA wants their lapdogs to be in tip top shape after all."

"Messengers have no physical or genetic traits visible to the naked or even microscopic eye, Zack." Cloud placed a hand over his heart. "Our powers, our legacy stems from the Goddess Minerva and the very Lifestream itself."

Zack looked slightly relieved at his words, but Cloud almost deflated when the older man suddenly shook his head.

"I'm still not convinced you're not safe from that psycho, Cloud. Despite the fact your heritage isn't completely physical or genetic. I know he'll find something."

"Then what do you want me to do, Zack? What measures do you want me to take to make sure I'm safe in your eyes? Because at this point I'm pretty damn exhausted trying to convince you."

"Pack your things." Zack commanded, waving a hand at the duffle bag partially hidden under his bed. "Your staying with me."

Cloud raised an eyebrow at the order. "Won't that be showing favoritism? And besides, cadets aren't allowed to stay in SOLDIER quarters."

"I'm First Class, I can do whatever the hell I want."

"Director Lezard would say otherwise," Cloud countered cheerfully, not moving to pack just yet. His heart was beating too fast and his legs were turning to jelly at the prospect of moving into his crushes apartment.

"I'll have Sephiroth make up a bullshit, yet, flawless excuse later. Now, pack your things and lets get you moved in."

"You know," Cloud started, bending down and reaching for his duffle bag. "You could have just came and told me you wanted me to move in with you."

"I would have if you weren't so damn stubborn."

"I get it from you."

"Yeah," Zack sounded amused and it lifted Cloud's heart. "Yeah, I suppose you do and hopefully you'll get some awesome techniques from me when we really get into our sword training."

"If we have time for it." Cloud placed his uniforms, civilian outfits and shoes into the duffle bag. "Gaia is a real mess even though the war with Wutai is over and SOLDIERS are being placed all over the world to make sure there aren't any rebellions going on."

"Genesis clones didn't make things any better," Cloud shook his head at how bitter Zack sounded. The older man still blamed Genesis for Angeal's defection and death. He hoped his friend would let it go one day, but he didn't see it happening anytime soon.

"Well, Genesis is gone or rather missing so we don't' have to worry about him for the time being."

Zack said nothing, coming over and lifting his duffle back despite his protest about he could carry it himself.

"Let's get going, eh?"

Moving to the door, Cloud blushed when his stomach let out a loud gargle, he buried his face in his hands when Zack dropped his bag to clutch his stomach in laughter.

"I guess I should take you to dinner, huh?"

The thought of going to a real restaurant and eating good food instead of the crap they served in the company cafeteria caused Cloud giggle in excitement. He covered his mouth when Zack raised an eyebrow at the sound.

"Did…Did you just giggle?"

"No! No I didn't!"

Zack chuckled deeply, pulling the door to his former room open. "That was a giggle, Cloud, don't try to deny it."

"I'm denying it," Cloud deadpanned. "I'm totally denying it."

* * *

Hojo's laboratories were full of activity, but that didn't stop it from being morally depressing in Sephiroth's opinion. The thought of coming here caused a shiver to run down his spine. He spent his entire life in labs and had grown to dislike them and scientists.

Immensely.

"Ah, Sephiroth," Hojo greeted without turning his back. "I have another mission for you."

"Another mission?" Sephiroth questioned warily. "About the messengers I presume?"

"Yes," Hojo handed him a folder with the specs inside. "I managed to find quite a few interesting things about the messengers, but I need viable proof. Take Commander Fair and two cadets to the Forgotten Capital."

"Forgotten Capital? The City of the Ancients?"

"That is correct," Hojo opened a steel case revealing a harp. "This is the Lunar Harp. It needs to be used to awaken Sleeping Forest which leads the way to the Capital."

Sephiroth touched the harp lightly, it was old, but looked durable. He closed the case with a click and grabbed the handle. "Is there anything else I need to know before I depart with my team?"

"Yes," Hojo pointed to the folder. "There is a specific item I wish for you to acquire. The details are inside. This item must be obtained at any cost."

Curiosity poked at Sephiroth at the thought of the item. Whatever it was. "I understand, I'll have the report and item for you within two weeks."

"Have it one," Hojo commanded. "If we obtain this item then we won't need the messengers at all."

"We will complete this mission," Sephiroth stared the scientist down. "In two weeks time."

Scowling, Hojo and waved him away. "Very well, very well,"

Sephiroth suppressed a weary sigh and left the labs with a heavy heart. He should have known better than to think Hojo would give up so easily. Futile, really.

Looking at the folder in his hand, Sephiroth resisted the urge to rip into shreds and claim he lost it. With another sigh, he headed for Zack's quarters.

The puppy wasn't going to be happy about this and frankly, neither was he.

* * *

-End of Chapter Eight-


	9. Chapter 9

Valkyria : Hello Everyone! Last update of the month! Enjoy!

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to Final Fantasy VII or the themes from Folklore.

* * *

Chapter Nine : Forgotten Capital. 

Hanging up the last of Zack's clothes, Cloud took a small step back and grinned at the now clean state of the apartment. When he first arrived, Zack's apartment look like it had been hit by a high level Aero spell.

It was something he should have expected his friends apartment to look like, but it was still a surprise to see how dirty it actually was. He knew his friend was constantly on missions, but that was no excuse for having a seemingly unlimited amount of pizza boxes, metal polish and beer bottles scattered around the kitchen and living room.

With an amused huff, Cloud sent Zack out of the apartment for some take-out and set out to clean. It took a long time, but he finally got everything swept, mopped, dusted and washed.

"Now it actually looks livable."

Shutting the closet door, he left Zack's room and entered his own which consisted of a simple queen sized bed, dresser and desk for his studying. It was simple, but he didn't mind seeing as how he wasn't going to have anyone over to show it off anyway.

Before he could settle down on the bed and wait for Zack's return, he heard the door open and slam harshly against the frame. Startled at the sound, Cloud stood from the bed and made his way into the living room where an angry looking Zack and a solemn looking Sephiroth were standing.

"Zack?" Cloud stood cautiously near the small table. "I-Is everything alright?"

"No, Cloud, everything is not alright." Zack placed the take-out on the table next to him and took him into his arms. "I'm sorry."

Giving Sephiroth a confused look over Zack's shoulder, Cloud wrapped his arms around his friend's shoulder. "Sorry? What are you sorry about?"

"New orders."

Cloud felt himself grow confused at Zack's words, he gave Sephiroth another helpless glance and the General finally decided to have pity on him.

"Orders from Hojo," Sephiroth held up a manila folder. "It seems that he found something about the Messengers in the Forgotten Capital."

"O-Oh, I see," Cloud murmured, he should have known better to think Hojo was going to give up that easily. He supposed they all should have really.

"I am truly sorry, Cloud." Sephiroth sighed, setting the folder down on the back of the couch. "I truly thought that Hojo would move on if we couldn't find anything in Cosmo Canyon."

"We can say we didn't find anything there?" Zack tried hopefully. It melted Cloud's heart that his friend was trying so hard to protect him.

"It wouldn't do much good to pretend, Zack." Sephiroth chided softly. "He would just send us off if he found something else."

"We have to do something, damn it! We just can't let Cloud be found out."

"We won't," Sephiroth sounded firm and resolute. "We won't let anything happen to him."

"Why don't we go over the mission specifications." Cloud offered gently, patting Zack on the shoulder. "And then we can come up with something."

"You're sounding awfully calm about this, Cloud." Sephiroth said, but didn't hesitate to reach over and open the folder. "Are you that confident?"

"Not confident, just somewhat resigned. When I first joined Shin-RA, I always thought Hojo was going to find me." Cloud took a seat on the couch. "You have no idea how paranoid I was."

"Your paranoia was well founded." Sephiroth stated. "It has kept you from Hojo's clutches for this long and he's known to find out about things that are not his business."

"The mission specs, Seph?" Zack questioned. "What do they say."

Sephiroth gave Zack a light scowl before flipping the folder open. "Hojo wants us to search for a gate and a materia."

"Gate and Materia?"

"Apparently this materia allows non-messengers to go into the Lifestream without being mentally or physically damaged."

"The Materia of Descent?" Cloud flushed when Sephiroth and Zack gave him sharp looks. "My mother told me about it when I was child, but I thought it was just a legend. Like the name says, it allows people who aren't messengers to descend into the Lifestream."

"Is it likely that it still exists within the city?" Sephiroth asked him.

"The Forgotten City has been closed off to people for thousands of years." Cloud responded. "I have no idea what's in there or who's in there. For all we know, there still might be a tribe of Ancients residing there."

"If that was the case then wouldn't someone found them by now?"

"You can't enter the city without a Lunar Harp." Cloud responded. "And they're not in heavy supply this day and age."

"So how in the world did Hojo get one?" Zack waved a hand when Cloud opened his mouth to respond. "Never mind, stupid question."

"So, what do we do now?" Cloud asked.

"We get ready for the mission." Sephiroth responded. "You will be the only cadet going on this mission, Cloud." Sephiroth looked around at the clean apartment, noticing a few of Cloud's possessions lying about. "And since apparently you reside with Zack now, there will be no need to tell you to return to the barracks and get ready."

Flushing, Cloud scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I suppose not, sir."

"When do you leave?" Zack cut in, somewhat impatiently. "I want to get this done and over with."

"We leave tomorrow at dawn." turning on his heel, Sephiroth picked up the file and proceeded to the door. "Make sure you're ready," the General glanced over his shoulder and glared lightly at Zack. "And on time."

Cloud snickered when Sephiroth gave Zack one last warning glare before open and closing the door behind him. He grinned when Zack turned him with a sulking expression.

"I'm not late all the time, just so we're clear."

Lips twitching, Cloud nodded his head, it would be rude to laugh at his friend's effort to be serious. "We're clear."

* * *

In the end, they were unfortunately late to the Helipad. Cloud had to literally drag his friend out of bed at five o' clock in the morning, push him in freezing water while he had a toothbrush in his own mouth. To Cloud, it wasn't an experience he was going to forget all too soon.

"You're late," Sephiroth spoke when they were in earshot. "I distinctly remember telling the both of you to not be late."

"Apologies, sir!" Cloud saluted. "It won't happen again."

Sephiroth nodded, giving him and Zack a scolding look. "See that it doesn't, Cadet Strife." the General moved away, opening the door to the helicopter. "We're leaving now, we should arrive by mid-day."

Watching Sephiroth climb in, Cloud felt Zack poking him in the side. "What is it?"

"Forgot about your motion sickness already?"

"No," Cloud's stomach twisted. "Thanks for reminding me, it was very kind of you."

Zack smirked, mako eyes gleaming in the dawn light. "No problem, after all, you helped me out earlier, remember?"

At the thought of tossing Zack in the cold shower, Cloud chuckled, climbing into the helicopter as he did so. "I remember."

"Yo!" their pilot called out. "We going or what?"

"Cadet Strife, Zack, this is our pilot, Reno Sinclair."

Reno peaked his head around the seat and grinned. "Good to meet you," Reno tossed a grin in Zack's direction. "How're you holding up, slick?"

'Slick?' Cloud mouthed to himself, catching Sephiroth's eyes and it was to his surprise to see the General wearing a small grin.

"Stop calling me that," Zack pointed to himself. "It's Zack, not kid, or slick, or SOLIDER boy. My name is Zack, you're a Turk, Reno. It's not that hard to remember my name."

Reno looked vaguely insulted when Zack finished his tirade. "Sure, whatever you say, Slick."

"Reno," Sephiroth cut in when Zack opened his mouth. "Let us depart, we are running slightly behind schedule."

"Right, right," Reno turned away and Cloud heard a few clicks before the engines started. "Hold on to your seats and please don't puke if you have motion sickness or something."

Gulping, Cloud gripped the seat when he felt the helicopter lift off the ground. This was going to be a great trip.

If he didn't puke his guts out in front of Sephiroth and Zack, that is.

* * *

A/N : I'm going to stop it here, this was more of a filler chapter than anything really, I seem to be writing a lot of those lately.

Next Chapter : Cloud, Zack and Sephiroth arrive at Bone Village!


	10. Chapter 10

Valkyria : Hey guys! Enjoy Chapter Ten of Whispers of the Dead!

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to Final Fantasy VII

Current Song : Song of the Ancients.

* * *

Chapter Ten : Bone Village and Sleeping Forest.

Surprisingly enough, Cloud managed not to puke his guts out during the long ride north to Bone Village. He would make sure to send a prayer up to Minerva when had the time. Gazing across the helicopter, Cloud grinned at Zack, who was sprawled out on the seat and sleeping away. He turned his eyes to Sephiroth who was staring at Zack with disapproval clear in his bright green eyes.

"Shall I wake him up, sir?" he didn't want Zack to get in trouble, but then again, he couldn't really blame Zack for falling asleep. It was more than a five hour ride from Midgar to Bone Village.

"No," Sephiroth responded quietly. "I will wake him up once we land."

"It's been pretty quiet." Reno put in, chuckling. "You sure you want to wake him up?"

"He will be disappointed if he misses this." Sephiroth stated. "And I have no patience to put up with his whining."

"That bad, eh?"

"Keep your eyes forward, Reno." Sephiroth warned lightly, avoiding the Turk's question. "I have no desire to visit the Lifestream anytime soon."

Reno snorted, but turned back nonetheless. "Who do you think I am? I'm one of the best pilots Shinra has."

"You can prove that to us by not crashing seeing as we are almost to our destination."

"Right, right,"

Landing just outside Bone Village, Cloud reached over and shook Zack's shoulder, trying and somewhat failing to wake his best friend and commander.

"Zac-sir, wake up." Cloud huffed when Zack made no move to awaken. "Sir, wake up, please."

"Slap him," came Reno's amused voice. "That'll get his ass up."

Sephiroth reached over him and lightly tapped Zack on the cheek. "Zack! Wake up." he felt Sephiroth pull him away when Zack shot up in the seat, frantically looking around.

"Wha-What's going on?"

"You fell asleep, Zachary," disapproval was clear in Sephiroth's voice. "We've landed in Bone Village. It's time to start our investigation."

"Sorry!" Zack grinned sheepishly, reaching up to wipe the slobber from the edge of his mouth. "Let's get going."

Amused, Cloud watched his friend gather his bag and jump out of the helicopter's open door. It was amazing how Zack was asleep one moment and up and gone the next.

"Come, Cloud," Sephiroth moved from behind him and grabbed his own bag. "Let's start the mission, we are already slightly behind."

"Okay," grabbing his supplies, Cloud peaked his head into the pilot seat where Reno was waiting. "Thank you for taking us here, Reno."

Reno raised an eyebrow at him. "Sure kid, no problem, don't killed out there, alright?"

"I'll try not to, have a safe trip back to Midgar."

"Cloud!" Zack called from outside. "Let's mosey!"

"Mosey?" Reno questioned as Cloud scrambled out of the helicopter. "..the hell kind of saying is that?"

Struggling to put the pack on his back, Cloud rushed to where an impatient Zack and Sephiroth were waiting.

"Sorry, sorry," Cloud apologized, coming to halt in front of his two commanders. "I'm ready."

Entering Bone Village through a short forest path, Cloud's senses were soon assaulted by the sounds of small explosions, yelling and the furious sounds of digging.

"Welcome! Welcome to Bone Village."

There, standing a few feet ahead was a short, bald, middle-aged man wearing a simple outfit of khaki shorts and shirt.

"Hello," Sephiroth greeted smoothly. "I am General Sephiroth and this is Cadet Cloud Strife and Lieutenant General Zachary Fair."

"Shinra, eh?" the man stepped forward and held out his hand. "David, David Howard, leader of this excavation. What does Shinra want way up here?"

"We merely wish to pass through." Sephiroth stated, shaking David's hand before releasing it.

"Pass through?" David questioned. "Through Sleeping Forest? You do release that you need a lunar harp to do this, correct?"

"No need to worry about it," Zack put in, nodding his head at the suitcase in Sephiroth's hand. "We got it covered."

"I see," David murmured, finally shrugging. "Go on in, I'm not going to stop you."

"What's beyond?" Cloud asked suddenly, drawing all eyes to him. "beyond sleeping forest?"

Shaking his head, David walked back to the bone tent. "I haven't bothered to check because we haven't been able to locate a Lunar Harp since we've arrived, which is strange since they're usually found around here. It makes me wonder where in the hell you got yours."

"Luck, I suppose," Zack grinned tightly. "we better be going now, eh?"

"Like I said," David stated again. "I'm not going to stop you. Good luck."

"Well?" Sephiroth walked towards the seemingly rickety ladders leading up to the second level. "Shall we?"

Following Sephiroth and Zack up the ladder, Cloud wondered what they would find in the city. Cetra? A Gate? or the materia? Honestly, Cloud hoped they wouldn't find anything of value and once again, push Hojo's research back or have another team go out and look.

Reaching the top of the ladder, Cloud snorted mentally. Yeah, right, like that was going to happen, but it was nice to dream.

"Hey," Zack spoke up and it much to Cloud's horror that his best friend was heading into the forest. "What happens if we-"

"Don't." Sephiroth cut off sharply, bending down and unlocking the case holding the lunar harp. "If you go in there because you're curious, I promise you that Cloud and I will not go looking for you."

"What kind of comrades are the both of you?" Zack peeked into the dark entrance of the forest. "Just a peek-"

"Sir," Cloud pleaded. "please don't." he really, really didn't want to go into sleeping forest and look for Zack either. It would take hours.

Days, probably.

"Alright, alright," Zack acquiesced. "play the lunar harp so we can get this show on the road, Seph."

Sephiroth rose with the lunar harp firmly in his hands. "Follow my lead and don't stray behind."

Following closely behind Zack, Cloud watched, entranced as Sephiroth played a few notes on the harp and instantly felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise when a breeze came over him and the trees moved.

"Is that it?" Zack looked around. "looks like nothing changed."

"It did," Cloud confirmed. "It's not as quiet as before, we woke the forest up." looking up, he spotted two red birds fly by. "I just hope we didn't disturb anything big."

"I'm sure we- what's that?" Zack pointed to the left and Cloud blinked when he spotted nothing but trees.

"What's what? I don't see anything."

"I could have sworn-there! did you see it now?" Cloud looked in the direction Zack was pointing, the right this time, only again, to see nothing but trees.

"Zack..." Sephiroth began, a hint of warning in his voice.

"I'm not screwing around, Seph! I did see something-son of a bitch! there it is again. What the hell is it?"

Turning away from the direction Zack pointed, Cloud spotted something in the corner of his eye. Blinking, he saw a red materia float between the trees before disappearing.

"Materia?" Cloud blurted out, pointing to the floating orb. "Is that what you were talking about, sir?"

"Yeah!" Zack flew into the trees, much to Cloud's surprise. "Just a sec, I'll get it."

"We don't have time for this, Zack!" Sephiroth called out. "Zack!"

"Just a sec!" Zack called back, running between the trees and trying -unsuccessfully- to catch the materia. "I...almost got...it."

A burst of laughter escaped Cloud's lips when Zack tripped to the ground letting the materia escape again. At least some part of this trip was going to be fun.

"Enough of this," Sephiroth muttered from beside him before heading in the direction Zack was. Cloud watched as Sephiroth quickly caught the materia and dragged a disheartened Zack back out.

"For what it's worth," Sephiroth snapped, roughly placing the summon materia into Zack's hand. "It better be a damn powerful summon."

"I'm sure it is," Zack held the materia in the air, letting the sun's rays catch it. "It gave me a run for my gil."

"Hurry," Sephiroth commanded sharply. "Time is running short."

They managed to reach the edge of the forest by sunset which left Cloud tired, Zack slightly exhausted and Sephiroth snappy and frustrated. It was worth it once they gazed upon the forgotten capital.

"Sweet Shiva," Zack breathed. "This is..."

"Beautiful." Cloud finished softly. "everything is still in tact, after two whole millenia."

"And look!" Zack pointed down. "There's even people! Real Ancients."

"Cetra." a light voice corrected from behind. Cloud turned to find himself staring into a pair of bright, curious emerald green eyes. "The correct term for our people is Cetra, not Ancient."

"Forgive us," Sephiroth apologized. "I am Sephiroth-"

"Of Shinra." the woman finished smoothly. "I have heard of you from my father."

"Your Father?" Sephiroth inquired curiously. "Do I know him?"

"Yes, but please, allow me to introduce myself." the woman stepped forward and held out a hand. "I'm Aerith, Aerith Gast, and you are?"

* * *

-End Chapter Ten-


	11. Chapter 11

Valkyria : Hey guys! Quick change with Aerith's last name. It will be changed to Faremis instead of Gast. Sorry about that.

Disclaimer : As always, I claim no rights to Final Fantasy VII

Current Song : Valkyrie Profile OST - Eternal Engine.

* * *

Chapter Eleven : Cetra Clan and First Gate.

Aerith Faremis, in Cloud's opinion, was a very beautiful woman and judging from the way Zack kept looking at her; his friend thought the exact same thing. He didn't miss the way the two of them would smile at each other like they were sharing some secret. Unexpectedly, Cloud felt a surge of jealousy when Zack didn't pay him a bit of attention throughout their tour of the Cetra capital. It wasn't that he needed Zack's attention, it was just that he was used to receiving it at the drop of a hat. Cloud knew it was silly to be thinking this way, but he couldn't help it.

But, despite his jealousy of Zack and Aerith, Cloud found himself amazed at the capital of the Cetra. All this time, he thought he and his mother were alone in this Minerva forsaken world. He thought they were the only two people left who truly understood the workings of the Planet. Cloud was immensely relieved to see the Cetra alive and well, but something was bugging him. Why haven't the Cetra been located before this? Shinra had explored almost every nook and cranny of Gaia leaving nothing unscathed. What did the Cetra do or been doing to keep themselves hidden all this time?

"Are you alright?" Sephiroth asked from his left. "You look quite upset."

Cloud turned his attention away from Zack and Aerith and directed his gaze to Sephiroth. "I'm fine, sir, I'm just a bit overwhelmed at this."

Sephiroth simply raised an eyebrow at his excuse. "I understand, it is a lot to take in. But, are you sure there isn't anything else wrong?"

Blushing, Cloud quickly turned away from Sephiroth's knowing gaze. "No, sir, everything is fine-"

"What's taking you two so long?" Zack called from up ahead. "Hurry up!"

"There is no rush, really." Aerith smiled, and once again, Cloud found himself feeling a surge of jealousy at the sight of it. "But, I am slightly curious as to why you are here-"

"We're looking for the Materia of Descent." Cloud interrupted gently. "An artifact of my people."

"An artifact of your..." Aerith took a step closer to him. "You're a messenger? I thought they were gone."

"Just as we thought the Cetra were gone." Sephiroth countered. "I find it amazing that your people were able to evade Shinra for so long."

"Well," Aerith looked hesitant. "We do have our ways of doing that."

"What do you mean?" Zack asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

Aerith visibly swallowed, her emerald green eyes showing a hint of fear. "Well-"

"You get rid of the intruders. You kill them." Cloud cut in ruthlessly. "I figured that there was reason why no one reported this city's activity."

Aerith frowned at his interruption. "You do not understand-"

"I don't understand?" Cloud repeated, feeling a wave of anger at Aerith's words. "You have no idea how I feel, Aerith. You were safe inside this city, while my mother and I hide in fear of Shinra. Thinking every single moment of the day that they would come and break our door down and take us away-"

"Cloud!" Zack cut in firmly. "That's enough."

"Do you have the Materia of Descent or not?" Cloud held out his hand. "It belonged to my people and by all rights should be in my possession."

"I do not have it," Aerith looked away. "If you desire it then you must speak with my mother, Ifalna, the leader of the Cetra."

"You're a princess?" Zack cut in, his tone amazed. "I would have never thought-"

"Please." Sephiroth cut in. "If you don't mind, Miss. Faremis, we would like an audience with your mother."

Once again, not much to Cloud's surprise, Aerith looked hesitant. "I will try, but I promise nothing."

* * *

After much protest from the guards in front of the Palace, Cloud, along with Sephiroth and Zack, were taken in and down into the lower levels. Finally arriving at a set of light stairs leading further down into a water altar.

"She's down there?" Cloud asked, staying on the fifth step. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about progressing any further.

"Yes," Aerith replied, turning to stare him in the eye. "My mother prays everyday for the safety of our people."

"Are you sure this is the right to be disturbing her then?" Zack inquired. "We can wait until she finishes."

"No, she will be displeased with me if she found out that you arrived and I did not tell her." Aerith continued climbing down the steps. "Come, she probably knows we're already here."

Keeping his eyes on the water altar as they progressed, Cloud eventually spotted a middle-aged woman praying in the very center, her long brown flowing around her. She was just as beautiful as Aerith.

"Mother?" Aerith called, walking into the altar. "There are people here to see you-"

"Shinra?" Ifalna rose from her knees, brushing the wrinkles from her red silk dress. "Why are the likes of you in our walls?"

"Lady Ifalna." Sephiroth greeted formally. "I am-"

"General Sephiroth." Ifalna finished smoothly. "Just because we are closed off does not mean our ears are not open to the events of Gaia." Ifalna turned her eyes onto Cloud and gasped sharply. "A messenger?"

"A messenger." Cloud confirmed. "Within the walls of the Cetra homeland." he grinned. "Times certainly have changed, have they not, Lady Ifalna."

"They have indeed." Ifalna's flawless features became blank. "Why are you here...?"

"Cloud. Cloud Strife. I am a messenger hailing from the Nibelheim lands. I have come here for the Materia of Descent."

"You would give a precious artifact of your people to the likes of Shinra?" Ifalna questioned. "Have you no shame at all?"

"With all do respect, Lady Ifalna, you have no idea what I plan to do with the materia."

"Nor do I care." Ifalna reached into her sash and pulled out a purple orb with a black star on the front. "Is this what you desire?"

"Yes-"

"Then take it."

Cloud cursed when Ifalna tossed the materia in Zack's direction, he watched as his friend caught it easily enough. "Zack let it-" the materia started to glow in Zack's palm. "Let it go, Zack!"

Zack cursed and tried to drop the materia, but it refused to leave his hand. "I can't!" Zack looked down as a green glyph appeared underneath his feet. "What in the hell is going on?"

Without thinking, Cloud rushed over to Zack, and tried, without avail, to get the materia out of Zack's hand. "Zack! No!"

"He's going to the first level." Ifalna informed loudly. "The first level of the Lifestream! You can not save him."

"The hell I can't!" Cloud roared. "Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth appeared from behind, reaching over and, also, without much success, tried to pry the materia from Zack's hand. "We can not let him go alone, Cloud." the general kept a grip on the materia and soon enough a green glyph appeared underneath his feet. "Get ready."

"I'm sorry." Zack whispered. "I didn't mean-"

"It's not your fault, Zack." Cloud quickly reassured, concentrating on descending, and soon enough a bright blue glyph glowed underneath him. "Do not blame yourself." he tightened his grip on Zack's hand as his friend began to sink. "I'll find you, I promise,"

Cloud watched, saddened as Zack quickly disappeared in a flash of green light, he turned to Sephiroth only to find him already gone. With neither of his commanders left. Cloud turned to Aerith and Ifalna.

"I will come back, _Lady _Ifalna, and rest assured I will get you for this."

* * *

A/N : And there you have it folks! Cloud, Sephiroth and Zack have descended into the Lifestream. What's going to happen? Stay tuned.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter Twelve : Aurora Borealis.

_"To a messenger, descending into the Lifestream is an amazing feeling, but you must remember to never allow yourself to become swallowed within its endless possibilities, Cloud. For if you do, then you will never be able to bring yourself back to this plane. I have seen many of our brethren drown in the Lifestream, too taken by its splendor. I do not want the same thing to happen to you, my son, so please, remain steadfast and vigilant." _

Cloud opened his eyes as his mother's words echoed in his mind. She was right. Descending felt amazing, and he had to fight with his instincts to keep himself alert as he floated down the infinite darkness that made itself home in the Lifestream.

Allowing the energy of the Lifestream to surround him like a warm blanket, Cloud pushed himself further down, narrowing his eyes as the first barrier came within his sight. He held out his hand and touched the glyph, shattering it like glass before moving on. He was almost there. He was almost to the first gate of the Lifestream.

Clearly, he remembered his mother telling him about the seven levels of the Lifestream. About how each level had been created according to how people thought the afterlife would be like and depending on how you lived your life would dictate which level you would go to when you passed on. Cloud hoped that Zack nor Sephiroth landed in the six or seventh levels, where the most malevolent souls resided. He would never forgive himself if something happened-Cloud quickly suppressed those thoughts. He would do everything in his power to make sure _ nothing_ happened to either of them.

As a messenger, it was his duty to help and recover lost souls whether they belonged in the Lifestream or not, and Zack and Sephiroth were perfect examples of that thanks to Ifalna's meddling. The thought of the Cetra leader caused Cloud to see red. No matter what, he would find someway to pay her back for what she did. As the Cetra leader, Ifalna knew the dangers of a regular human touching the Materia of Descent, but like the witch she was, she tossed the materia in Zack's direction and allowed him to descend without a bit of regret.

Tears of frustration burned Cloud's eyes as he remembered the look of fear and regret Zack had before he disappeared. If had just tried harder to save Zack and Sephiroth then maybe they wouldn't be in this situation. Instead, they would be back safe and sound in Midgar telling Hojo that they had found nothing to aid his research of the messengers.

No, Cloud shook his head ruefully, now was not the time for self-blame and pity. He had to concentrate on getting Sephiroth and Zack back to the surface before the Lifestream effected them so much that they _couldn't _return.

Determination running through him, Cloud hastened his pace and grinned when he spotted the first gate of the Lifestream. Coming to a stop, Cloud placed a hand on the crossed shaped glyph and grunted when it quickly pulled him in.

Crossing through the gate, Cloud felt like his insides were being tossed around like a salad and bile fought his way up his throat. If this what it felt like passing through a level gate then he wasn't look forward going through the other six. Straightening his body out, Cloud crossed his arms over his face as he shot through the exit and landed harshly on the ground of the first level. Cloud rolled on the ground, and came to a stop when he landed in a deep river. Mentally cursing, Cloud collected himself and swam to the surface, gasping for breath when he broke through. Swimming to the embankment, Cloud crawled up the hill he rolled down and allowed himself to take a breather once he reached the top. This wasn't going as well as he hoped.

Forcing himself on his back, Cloud stared up into the starlit sky and felt his breath leave his body at the sight of the Aurora Borealis. It was amazing and he wished that Zack was here to see it. With his friend in his mind, Cloud rose from the ground and dusted himself off and looked around. The first level of the Lifestream was a seemingly endless field filled with flowers and a long river between the rolling hills. Stretching his back, Cloud moaned as the bones in his back cracked loudly. He would definitely have to work on his landings.

"Oh, good, you are alright."

Cloud quickly turned, his hand on his rifle, to see a middle aged man wearing a lab coat. "Who are you?"

"Gast. Gast Faremis." Gast held out his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet a messenger."

Cloud stared at the offered hand before taking it in his own. "I take it you don't see many messengers on the first level?"

"No," Gast shook his hand firmly. "They are more concerned with the souls lingering on the lower levels. It takes quite an effort to keep them in control."

"Indeed in does," Cloud took his hand away and stared into Gast eyes, the man's last name did not escape him. Faremis. "You wouldn't be Aerith Faremis' father, would you?"

"I am," Gast replied cautiously. "You know her?"

"Vaguely, I did not have enough time to get to know her before the Lady Ifalna threw my friends and comrades into the Lifestream."

"I-I see," Gast pushed his glasses up his nose and Cloud saw a flash of shame flicker over the man's face. It was good that someone was embarrassed at Ifalna's cruelty.

"I am sorry for my wife's actions." Gast gave him an apologetic smile. "She is still bitter about my death. I used to work for Shinra and found myself on their bad side."

"And here you are," Cloud finished smoothly. "Shinra is known to get rid of _thorns in their sides. _I wonder what you did to earn their wrath."

"I did what was right instead of doing what they _wanted." _ Gast looked bitter and somewhat smug. "I may have paid for it, but I died without regret."

"Ifalna does not feel the same way." Cloud countered softly. "She is wary of humans now and have taken the lives of the people who trespassed on the capital."

"I know of Ifalna's sins." Gast looked pained. "Minerva herself has spoken to me about it. The Goddess is in despair that her precious children are acting in such atrocious manner. Again, I am sorry that she has done this your friends. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes," Cloud reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of Zack and Sephiroth. "Have you seen these two men?"

Gast took the picture and grinned, albeit, sadly. "Ah, Sephiroth, it has been a long time since I have seen him. He has grown into a fine young man." Gast handed the picture back to Cloud whilst shaking his head. "I am sorry, but I have not seen either Sephiroth or your friend."

Suppressing his disappointment, Cloud gave the former scientist a grateful grin. "Thank you nonetheless. I guess I'll have to search for them."

"Be careful," Gast warned. "This is indeed the first level of the Lifestream, but that does not negate the fact that there are bad spirits lingering here."

"Speaking of bad spirits," Cloud raised an eyebrow at Gast. "I have a feeling you don't belong here. This level is mainly for pure hearts and children."

"Just because I do not belong does not mean I can not visit." Gast stated. "I belong on the third level, but unfortunately, I can not linger here for long."

"Of course not, you'd best be on your way before the guardians of the level come for you."

"Yes, I know," Gast stared at him from the tips of his hair to his booted feet. "A messenger in Shinra," Gast snorted. "Times have indeed changed."

Cloud chuckled. "Indeed they have."

* * *

Zack groaned when he felt a hand shake his shoulder, he reached up and swiped the hand away before getting into a more comfortable position on the grass. Satisfied, he returned to his slumber only to have the hand return, shaking his shoulder with more persistence.

"Hey!" a voice yelled in his ear. "Wake the hell up!"

Sitting up, Zack roared in pain when his forehead connected with a chest plate. "Ouch! Son of a bitch that hurts!"

"It looked like it did." a deep smooth voice chuckled. "You sleep like the dead, young man, even though you are among the living."

Zack looked up and found himself staring into deep brown eyes. "W-Who are you and where am I?"

"Name is Shears and you're on the fourth level of the Lifestream." Shears lifted him up and slapped him heartily on the back. "Welcome, kiddo,"

"I'm not a kid," Zack rubbed his neck and took a good look around, blinking at the sight that met him. "Water? Are we underwater?"

"In a way, yeah," Shears sighed wearily. "I'll tell ya the way people think the Lifestream is supposed to be is _strange." _

Zack snorted, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "Strange doesn't even begin to scratch the surface-and hey, how do you know I'm not dead?"

Shears graced him with an amused look. "You're not too smart are ya?"

"Hey," Zack pointed to himself, wearing a cheeky grin. "At least I'm not dead."

"Sorry," Shears gave him a blank look. "I mean smart _ass." _

"Come on," Zack whined, pulling out his famous puppy eyes. "How'd you know I wasn't dead?"

"Your eyes."

"My eyes?" Zack echoed. "You mean the mako glow?"

"No, everyone has that here. I mean your eyes are real deep green, signifying eternal _life."_

"Really?" Zack murmured, touching his face, he wished he had mirror. "My eyes were violet, more of a lavender color."

Shears shrugged. "It's not common for the eye color to change once you enter here. It's sort of way to rank the levels."

"Levels?" Zack repeated. "The Lifestream has levels?"

"Oh boy," Shears sighed heavily. "I see that this is going to be a _long _conversation."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen : A General's Determination.

The groans of the malicious spirits on the sixth level of the Lifestream were horrific to Sephiroth's sharp hearing and he was sure that their screams were going to stay in his head for weeks to come, but he would worry about that when the time came. Gripping his blade tightly in his hand, Sephiroth scanned the area, growing irritated at the increasing noise the restless spirits were making.

_"Of all the places to land._" Sephiroth thought disdainfully. _"It had to be a literal hell. Maybe this is sign of where I'm going when I die."_

"Well, look what we have here." a deep, gravely voice called from behind. "If it isn't the Great General Sephiroth. I see someone finally got the balls to kill you."

Sephiroth turned and smirked at the man who stood before him. "Fuhito. Why am I not surprised you are all the way down here?"

"General Sephiroth." Fuhito greeted, smirking. "I am not surprised you are also down here, considering the way you mercilessly slaughtered Wutai soldiers during the war. As a matter of fact, I expected you to be on the seventh level instead of the sixth."

Sephiroth snorted softly. "I can say the same about you, Fuhito. The Goddess has granted you a small mercy."

"Indeed she has, but it looks she has not done the same for you." Fuhito pushed his glasses up his nose and stared at him intensely. "Especially since you are here in this plane, alive." the scientist pointed to Sephiroth's eyes. "Your eyes a very light green which signifies the fact you are alive and well."

"And?" Sephiroth gave the scientist a bored look. "Is that supposed to impress me?"

"No, I'm just stating a simple fact." Fuhito chuckled softly. "I believe nothing in Gaia nor in the Lifestream is enough to surprise you."

"You are right. I have seen enough in my lifetime that nothing -including seeing you again- is enough to surprise me. If you are done then I will be on my way."

"Good luck to you, General, and please, be careful will you? There are _dangerous _things lurking about."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Giving Fuhito one last wary look, Sephiroth continued on his way, scowling when a group of spirits hissed at him before moving on. It would take time, but he would find a way out of here. If there was a way in, then surely there was a way out.

Sephiroth hoped that neither Zack nor Cloud were hurt. He had all the confidence that Zack would be able to think on his feet, but Cloud was another matter. A messenger the cadet may be, but an expert swordsman he wasn't. At least not yet he wasn't.

Stopping at a crossroads, Sephiroth tensed when the air around him changed, becoming heavy and less easier to breathe. He sighed when a deep growl emerged from behind him. Slowly turning around, Sephiroth scowled at the large beast before him.

"Well, well, well, I never thought I would see a live mortal within the bounds of the Lifestream." the horned beast growled. "I bet you taste even more delicious than the spirits that reside here."

With a smirk on his lips, Sephiroth raised his blade, quickly adjusting his footing. "Why don't you try and find out how good taste. That is, if you _can."_

* * *

Yawning, Cloud looked around and sighed when he spotted nothing more than the flower fields. He should have expected to not have found anything here, being the first level and all.

The only thing he had found were friendly spirits of children and the elderly, who were really no help at all, but they were very polite and fun to talk to. Tying his jacket around his waist, Cloud slid down a hill and grinned when he spotted the exit to the current level.

"On you're way out, kid?"

"Yeah," Cloud tensed when he saw a man a feet next to the exit. "I am."

The man raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "No need to be hostile, my name is Dyne. I'm the guardian of this level. I just came to thank you for warning Professor Gast on leaving. I didn't want to hurt the old man."

"No problem, and he said he could visit different levels." Cloud stepped forward, holding out his hand. "I'm Cloud. Cloud Strife."

Dyne gripped his hand tightly. "Nice too meet you Messenger Strife. And no, Professor Gast is not allowed to travel to different levels. If any spirit was allowed to transgress to different levels then all of them would become unstable."

"I see, you said your name was Dyne, right?" when the guardian nodded, Cloud continued. "I wanted to ask if you saw anyone alive down here?"

"Alive?" Dyne echoed. "You mean to tell me that there are Gaia-bound people roaming the Lifestream?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Cloud winced. "It's just one big mess and I have to clean it up. It is my duty as a messenger after all."

"Indeed it is." Dyne murmured. "I'm sorry, but no, I haven't seen any Gaia-bound people wandering around except for yourself, but you don't exactly count."

"No," Cloud chuckled. "I suppose I don't."

Dyne waved a hand to the exit gate. "Why don't you check the second and third levels? The guardians might know something."

"I think I might." Cloud stomach rolled at the thought of going through another level gate. "Thank you again, Dyne."

"No problem, and good luck, eh?"

Stepping forward, Cloud pressed a hand to the gate and once again felt his insides twist around. Oh Minerva, he hoped Zack was on the second level. He didn't know how much more of this he could handle.

* * *

"There are seven levels or seven havens of the Lifestream." Shears strolled around the small room, popping a bubble that rose up from the ground. "Each level is created from the thoughts of Gaia-bound people."

"Created?" Zack moved his hand around, watching in awe as the water followed it. "How are they created from thoughts?"

"Simple." Shears tapped his temple. "Everyone has a vision of what the afterlife looks like and them-BAM." Shears chuckled when Zack jumped at the sound. "A haven is created."

"If it's created from everyone's thoughts then how come they aren't more havens?" Zack rose from his chair and spread his arms out. "There are millions upon millions of people that live on Gaia and all we get from those thoughts are seven havens?"

"If Goddess Minerva did that then the Lifestream would most likely collapse upon itself." Shears responded. "The havens are created from strong thoughts, of those wielding strong souls." Shears pointed to Zack's chest. "Much like yourself."

"Really?" Zack tilted his head. "So, if I died then where would I go?"

"The second level." Shears quickly replied. "Or what we call Elysium. It's a field reserved for soldiers like yourself who were good in morals and in strength."

"Is that where Cloud and Sephiroth would go?" when Shears looked confused, Zack quickly continued. "My friends, one of them is a messenger and-"

"I know who Sephiroth is." Shears cut him off. "General Sephiroth would go to the fifth level; Valhalla."

"Valhalla? Is that a bad place?"

"Yes and No." Shears murmured. "Valhalla serves as a barrier for the six and seventh levels; Niflheim and Tartarus."

"Niflheim and Tartarus?" Zack crossed his arms over his chest. "I take it those aren't very _happy _places?"

"Afraid not." Shears frowned. "Nasty spirits and the spirits of Valhalla protect the upper levels from the negative energy coming up from those places."

"I see, and what about Cloud? I told you he's a messenger-"

Shears brushed his concern away. "Don't worry about him, he'll be fine, if he's the messenger I think he is then he'll find you in no time."

"So, I can stay here and wait?" Zack asked hopefully.

"Nope." Shears remarked cheerfully. "Gaia-bound people must keep moving up and down the levels in order not to get stuck."

"That's sucks!" Zack scowled. "What if I miss Cloud?"

"You won't." Shears sounded confident. "He's probably on his way down or up. You'll eventually catch up with him."

"Alright," Zack blew out a heavy sigh. "Where do I go now?"

Shears jerked a thumb up. "You go to the third level; Memorias. I'll show you the way." Shears waved a hand to the door. "Come on."

"How do you know all of this stuff anyway?" Zack asked, giving Shears a curious look. "Is this common knowledge for a dead person?"

"Yeah, but I know it like the back of my because I'm a guardian; protector of this haven."

"Oh," Zack drawled playfully. "No wonder you're trying to kick me out. You don't want to deal with me?"

"Exactly."

"Hey! You're not supposed to agree!"

* * *

A/N : Cloud heads to the second level of the Lifestream, while Zack heads to the third and Sephiroth fights for his life. Stay tuned for the next chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen : A SOLDIER's Heart.

In Zack's honest opinion, heading to the third haven of the Lifestream, Memorias, was similar to dropping into the ocean; it was fast and hard. Sure, he had been hurt worse and suffered more pain in battle, but landing on the hill just outside the small village of Memorias still _hurt. _

Staring at the cloudy sky, Zack waited for the pain in his back to become a dull throb before slowly rising to his feet and stretching his legs and arms, taking care not to aggravate the still sore muscles too much. Placing his arms back down to his sides, Zack stared down at the small village and blinked in confusion. This? This was a haven?

Shaking his head at the strangeness of the haven's design, Zack carefully made his way down the hill and past the village gate. He didn't have to look around because his gut told him that Cloud wasn't here. His small friend had good control of his descending abilities and would have most likely went to the first level instead of the fourth like he did. He wondered how long would it take for all of them to find each other? It couldn't take them that long for them go up and down seven levels could it? No, not seven, five, he didn't even want to think about what was in Tartarus and Nilfhelm.

Zack came to a stop at a seemingly normal brick house with a white picket fence. Scoffing at it, Zack jumped over the fence and walked down the short walkway. Maybe the guardian of the haven was here? Raising his hand, he knocked five times waited patiently for the door to open and when it did Zack's jaw dropped.

"You have got to be _kidding _me!" Zack roared, slamming his fist against the side of the door. "How are you in this haven, Hollander?"

Hollander stood before Zack in all his glory and without the effects of the Genesis cells plaguing him. "I would say it's nice too see you again, Zack, but I would be lying."

"Same here." Zack grunted in reply. "After all the crap you've done your ass should be in Tartarus."

"I'm afraid it doesn't it work that way." Hollander drawled. "If you can work your sins off then you are able to ascend to the upper levels." spreading his arms, Hollander chuckled. "As you can see I've progressed very well."

This, Zack shook his head, this had to be some kind of sick _joke. _Hollander of all people should be suffering for what he did during his time alive. Experimenting on people should be something that is never forgiven.

Hollander smirked, opening the door an inch wider. "Would you like to come in?"

"No," Zack replied coldly. "If you would _kindly _tell me where the guardian is then I'll be on my merry way."

"The guardians of the level live on that hill up there." Hollander moved out of the doorway and pointed to a nice, wooden two story house. "But, I can't say they will be happy with your arrival."

"I won't be staying long." Zack stated, glaring at the scientist. "Thanks, I guess you can go back and do whatever in the hell you were doing before."

"With pleasure," Hollander drawled. "Oh and by the way, Zack. It's nice to see someone vibrant and alive in the Lifestream. Makes things more interesting."

Instead of taking the bait, Zack simply flipped Hollander the bird and made his way to the guardians home. He was going to have a talk with the current guardian and _demand _why Hollander wasn't burning in Tartarus and being endlessly _tortured. _It wasn't fair that the bastard was living it up in a nice brick house in Memorias while his victims were probably in the lower levels suffering for something they didn't do.

Trudging up the steps that led to the guardians home, Zack scanned home for any sign of activity. Finding none, he walked up and banged on the door and demanded they open up.

"Alright! Alright! Keep your damn pants on!"

The door banged open almost catching Zack in the face. As he opened his mouth to insult the person on the other side, his heart froze and the words died on his lips. There, standing in the doorway was someone he never thought he'd see again.

"Sebastian?" Zack breathed, tears blurring his vision. "Sebastian is that really you?"

"Yeah," Sebastian's deep voice flowed over Zack like a balm. "It's me."

With a choked sob escaping his lips, Zack wrapped his arms around Sebastian's larger frame. "I can't believe it's you! I never thought I'd see you again."

Zack felt Sebastian's strong arms wrap around him. "Same here, buddy, same here, but what in the hell are you doing here?" Sebastian pulled him back and frowned. "And alive?"

"It-It's a long story."

"Well," Sebastian opened the door wider and pulled him inside. "Come inside and tell me and Essai everything."

"Essai? Essai is here too?" Zack looked around the well furnished living room. "Where is he? Essai? Essai!"

"Keep your damn voice down!" Essai rough voice echoed throughout the house. "I can hear you, I'm not deaf."

Zack chuckled roughly when Essai came around the corner, looking as rough as Zack remembered him to be. He grinned when Essai's hazel eyes widen at the sight of him. He held his arms open as Essai raced towards him and enveloped him in a hug.

"Sweet Minerva, Zack, I never thought I'd see you again. What in the hell are you doing here?" Essai pulled away and sucked in a sharp breath. "Alive...?"

"It's a long story, Essai, a very long story."

* * *

With a final swing of his blade, Sephiroth quickly brought down the horned beast and watched as it disappeared in an impressive display of energy. Satisfied, Sephiroth sheathed his blade and continued on his way, making sure to keep his eyes and ears out for anymore beasts. This was beginning to become tedious, he needed to leave this place and find Zack and Cloud.

Coming to another stop at a crossroad, Sephiroth quickly took the left road and continued down, once again, becoming irritated when the spirits drifting by, hissing at him. He wanted nothing more than to be rid of this place. Looking ahead, he narrowed his eyes when he spotted a glyph in the shape of a cross. Could that be an exit? A way out of this dismal place?

Quickly closing the distance between himself and glyph, Sephiroth placed a gloved hand on it and grunted when he felt his body pulled in. Straightening his body out, Sephiroth grunted as his body crashed through another gate. If this is what Cloud went through when he descending then he would have to apologize when and if he saw the small cadet again. This feeling was similar to being caught in a rough current.

Crashing through a bright yellow gate, Sephiroth managed to land on feet, stumbling slightly before maintaining his balance. Shaking his head to rid himself of the nausea and dizziness, Sephiroth looked around to find himself in a brightly lit room that looked to be made of gold and metal. He would call it beautiful if he had not found the place to be so cold and impersonal.

As he took his first step forward, a voice, an all too _familiar _voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Sephiroth? Is it you?"

Slowly, as if in daze, Sephiroth turned and locked gazes with a pair of bright blue eyes. The same pair of blue eyes he thought he would not see again until his days on Gaia would come to an end.

"Angeal?"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen : Bittersweet Reunions.

Sephiroth stared at his longtime friend, his mind unable to completely comprehend the fact that Angeal, his friend for over a decade, was standing before him without the effects of deterioration plaguing him. Taking a tentative step forward, Sephiroth reached for Angeal, quickly stopping himself and allowing his arm to fall back to his side. There was so many things he wanted to say, but he didn't even know where to begin.

"It's okay," Angeal murmured, stepping closer and clapping a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. "I know there are a lot things you want to ask, but I want to know why you are down here."

"Hojo."

Angeal shook his shoulder making Sephiroth stare him in the eyes. "That should explain your situation, but it doesn't. Descending into the Lifestream is one thing I know Hojo doesn't know how to do."

"Hojo sent us to investigate the Cetra capital located north of Bone Village." Sephiroth elaborated further. "We found survivors of the Cetra race and met their leader, Ifalna. But things didn't go as we expected." Sephiroth frowned as Ifalna's blank face flashed before his eyes. "Ifalna used the materia of descent to send us into the Lifestream."

"Materia of Descent." Angeal placed his hand on his chin, a thoughtful expression coming over his face. "Messengers created those materia for regular people to use when their numbers were reduced. It's understandable the Cetra got their hands on one considering they had a treaty with the messengers. I'm guessing that's what Hojo wanted?"

"Correct. I have no clue why Hojo wants the materia, but I can say with confidence that it works." Sephiroth pinched the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately, I was not the only one who was thrown down here."

"I don't need to take a shot in dark and guess who accompanied you on this mission." Angeal chuckled, albeit, sadly. "You have not found Zack yet?"

"No nor I have found Cloud, a cadet and Zack's best friend, who happens to be a messenger."

Angeal raised an eyebrow at his words. "A messenger? In Shinra?" shaking his head, Angeal gave Sephiroth an incredulous look. "This Cloud must be incredibly brave or incredibly foolish."

"A little bit of both." Sephiroth chuckled softly. "I can see a bit of Zack in him. Without the recklessness of course."

"Zack." Angeal smiled fondly, sadly. "How is he? I do miss him."

"He's grown," Sephiroth felt a rush of pride for the younger SOLIDER. He understood why Angeal always talked about Zack with so much praise. The younger man was an excellent swordsman and commander. "He is adjusting to his rank well."

"I am relieved to hear that." Angeal turned away, but Sephiroth sharp eyes caught the two tears trailing down Angeal's cheeks. "I must thank you, my friend, for taking care of him."

"I didn't do much." Sephiroth gave Angeal time to pull himself together before pressing on. "He can be quite the hothead, but he's there when it counts."

"I have no doubts that he is." Angeal chuckled softly. "But aside from Zack, I assume you would want to know where you are?"

"Yes," Sephiroth looked around, finding himself amazed at the seemingly endless gold and metal, which covered the floors to the ceiling. "I must admit, I am curious."

"This level is dubbed "Valhalla." Angeal began, a mixture of pride and weariness in his voice. "This is where warriors such as you and I go when our life comes to an end."

"Valhalla." Sephiroth echoed, a small, reluctant smile pulling at his lips. "I am relieved that I will not be going to the sixth level."

"Sixth level? Nilfelm?" Angeal winced, giving his friend a look of sympathy. "I'm sorry you had to experience such a thing, Sephiroth."

"No need for apologies." Sephiroth lightly shivered as the memory of the place washed over him. "We could not control where we landed."

"Yes, but it could not have been a good place to experience." Angeal waved a hand down an empty hall. "Come, I'll show you a place to rest before you move on again."

"Move on again?" Sephiroth remained where he stood, causing Angeal to stop in his tracks. "I can not remain here?"

"No," Angeal looked pained, regretful and Sephiroth felt guilty for even asking the question. "You must travel between the levels for if you don't you will be stuck in the levels, permanently."

"I see," Sephiroth winced at the image. Being stuck in any of the levels didn't seem appealing. "Very well, lead the way."

* * *

Zack waited patiently -that was saying something- as Essai and Sebastian took in his story. He, too, would have been shocked at hearing such a story. Hell, he probably wouldn't have believed it if someone told him that they were dropped into the Lifestream and traveling between havens. Leaning back against the chair, Zack ran a hand through his hair, avoiding his friends eyes. The last thing he wanted was to see the pity in their eyes at his situation.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Zack." Essai finally spoke, his voice filled with anger. "You shouldn't be down here. At least, not yet."

"I know, but what choice do I have?" Zack blew out a sigh. "I'm stuck here until I can find Cloud."

Sebastian shook his head, hazel eyes gleaming with bemusement. "I still don't understand how a messenger is in Shinra." Sebastian shuddered. "Especially with Hojo around."

"He did what he had to do." Zack stated, feeling a need to defend Cloud's actions. "And besides, they haven't caught him nor will they ever will."

"Of course not," Essai snorted. "Not with you there. It's a shame about the Cetra though. I thought they were nice people."

"Yeah," Zack murmured, an image of Aerith flashing before his eyes. "I thought they were too."

"So, what are you going to do now?" Essai asked curiously. "I'm sure you know by now that as guardians of this haven we have to safely see you out of here."

"Yeah, Shears kicked me out with a shit-eating grin earlier." ignoring his friends howling laughter, Zack pressed on. "The only thing I can do is keep moving up and down the havens and hopefully I'll find Cloud."

"You're moving up." Sebastian stated. "I have a feeling you'll find him there."

Knowing all about Sebastian's "feelings." Zack grinned. "Hearing that makes me relieved, buddy. I know I'll find him now."

Essai rose from the chair next to the fireplace and clapped Zack on the back. "Let's get going, eh? You've been here long enough. Another hour or two and you'll be stuck."

At the thought of leaving his two friends behind caused Zack to freeze in his seat. He gave them both a hurt look which they returned with sympatheic ones. Sebastian chuckled warmly, sadly.

"It'll be alright, buddy." Sebastian soothed. "We'll see each other again soon. I promise, but not for a long, long time, you hear?" the second guardian rose from the chair and held his arms out. "How about a hug for a friend."

Zack shot up from his chair and embraced Sebastian, burying his face in his friend's broad shoulder. "I don't wanna go."

"Ya have to." Sebastian replied, a hint of steel in his voice. "I'm not going to let you get stuck here, understand?" Sebastian pulled away, giving his friend a tight grin. "Time to go, Essai!"

"Right," Essai gave Zack an expectant look. "Zack, are you ready?"

"Do I have a damn choice?" Zack spat out, bitter about leaving his friends or rather them leaving him behind again. "Let's just go."

* * *

Cloud climbed down the steps leading down into the small city that was the second haven, Terra, a wonderful mix of earth and wood. He remembered his mother telling him that this haven was made for ordinary people, people who lived their live in peace and with few sins.

People like him.

For the first time in a long while, Cloud smiled at the thought of just being ordinary. Sure, he was positive he wasn't going to make to SOLDIER, but hey, at least he had an awesome yet troublesome talent like this.

Stopping at street corner, Cloud sighed when he spotted no one but a group of spirits walking down the street, their robes signfying that they belonged in this haven blowing in the wind. Well, looked like Zack nor Sephiroth weren't here.

Leaning against the pole, Cloud placed a hand against the side of his face. He hoped Zack or Sephiroth hadn't landed in the bottom levels where the horrible spirits resided. Sending a quick prayer to Minerva, he glanced up at the cloudy sky. He would search the city throughly and stay a few hours to rest before departing for Memorias.

A discreet cough from his left caused Cloud to turn his head and see a strong chest in his line of sight. Slowly looking up, he stepped back when a familiar pair of blue eyes found his own.

"Are you lost, son? It isn't like you to be lost."

Cloud took another step back, a sharp gasp escaping his lips when those blue eyes smiled down at him, twinkling with a familiar warmth he hadn't seen in years. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that this person was standing in front of him.

"Cloud? Are you alright?" the man chuckled warmly. "Look like you seen a ghost."

Hearing such a lame joke caused Cloud to smile and tears to slide down his cheeks. "It's good to see you again, Dad."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen : Violet and Blue.

Cloud wrapped his arms around his father, and breathed in his scent, smiling as the smell of sandalwood surrounded him. It had been so _long. _Too long for him to comprehend. Pulling away, he looked into crystal blue eyes so similar and yet so different from his own. He never expected to meet his father here of all places. He expected his father to be in Valhalla, he was quite a swordsman while he was alive.

"Goddess, you've gotten so big." Adrian Strife whispered, blue eyes gleaming with unshed tears "I've missed you, my boy."

"I missed you too, Dad." Cloud touched his father's arms, making sure that the man was actually standing in front of him. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be in Valhalla?"

"I was offered to stay in Valhalla, but I chose to become the guardian of Terra instead. The previous guardian went a little..insane." Adrian explained, a dark expression clouding his features. "But enough about me, tell me, why are you here?"

"I was forced to come down here." Cloud explained. "Lady Ifalna of the Cetra tossed my friends down here and I had no choice but to come after them."

"I see," Adrian murmured. "I take it you haven't located them yet?"

"No," Cloud hung his head, avoiding his father's eyes. "I haven't and I'm getting worried that they may have gone to Nilfhelm or Tartarus."

"That would be bad." Adrian clamped a hand onto his son's shoulder. "I can contact the other guardians and ask if they seen them if that would help?"

"Would you?" Cloud felt a wave of relief when his father tossed him a grin. Finally, he would get some kind of information about where his friends where and the good side was he wouldn't have to travel down the remaining levels. Consciously, he placed a hand on his stomach. Yes, this definitely had worked out.

"Come to my home." Adrian nodded his head to a three story house located on top of the hill. "We can talk more there."

xxxxx

His father's home was comfortable and warm. The designs used reminded him of his own home in Nibelheim. Seeing that caused warmth to rush to his chest. It showed that his father still thought about them even now.

Though the house interior was nostalgic and familiar to him, the most interesting piece was a glowing orb set in the middle where a coffee table should be. Before he could ask what it was, his father walked over to it and placed his hand on it.

"Essai? Sebastian? Are you there?" Adrian called out, frowning when he didn't receive a reply. "Essai-"

"We're here, Adrian." a deep voice called out, most likely this was Essai. "What do you need?"

"I was wondering if you seen two displaced travelers?" Adrian questioned, turning to Cloud, he frowned thoughfully. "What are their names?"

"Zack and Sephiroth?" Essai's deep voice came back through the orb. "Sweet Minerva, Adrian! You found Cloud?"

"Yes, I found my son," Adrian replied. "How do you know him?"

"Zack is on his way up to Terra as we speak, as a matter of fact, he should be there now."

"He's here?" Cloud breathed, excitement racing through his veins. "Zack's here?" ignoring his father's cry, Cloud raced out of the house and through the slightly crowded streets of the village. Taking a sharp right, turn Cloud stumbled to a stop at the gate to see Zack looking around curiously, reminding him so much of the puppy Angeal and Sephiroth fondly called him.

"Zack!" Cloud raced forward, his heart beating against his chest as his friend's eyes locked with his own. "Oh Minerva, Zack!"

"Cloud? Chocobo!" Zack held out his arms, catching his smaller friend, swinging him around. "Oh man, I missed you." pulling away, Zack grinned down at Cloud, his eyes bright and remarkably enough, green.

"I-I missed you too." Cloud whispered, a blush coming to his cheeks. "Are you alright? What havens have you been too? It wasn't Tartarus or Nilfhelm was it? Oh Minerva, please don't tell me you went down there. I don't know how I'm going help you deal with the nightmares, and-"

"Whoa, Chocobo, whoa." Zack murmured, bringing Cloud closer to his chest. "It's alright, take a breather. I'm okay, I've only been to two havens-well, three now and no it wasn't Nilfhelm or Tartarus. That answer all of your questions?"

"Yes," Cloud pulled away, taking a deep, relieved breath. "Yes, it does. Have you seen Sephiroth?"

"No," Zack gently ruffled Cloud's hair, smiling when it bounced back to its usual state. "I was kind of hoping he was with you, but it looks we're going to have to go look for him."

"There's no need." Adrian spoke from behind. "I've contacted all of the guardians and Angeal, who resides over Valhalla, says he's there."

"A-Angeal?" Zack stuttered. "Angeal is here-or rather down there?" moving away from Cloud, he approached Adrian with a pleading expression. "Please, I have to see Angeal. Can you take me to him?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Adrian smiled when Zack deflated. "But, but Cloud here can take you. He can, after all, travel through the havens with ease."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Zack raced back over, taking Cloud into his arms. "Can you, Cloud? Can we go to Valhalla? I want to see, Angeal." clapping his hands together, Zack tilted his head to the side. "Please?"

Struggling not to smile, Cloud nodded. "I don't see why we can't. We're going to have to go pick him up." he turned to his father who was watching the proceedings quietly, but not without a smile. "Sephiroth isn't leaving the haven, is he?"

"No," Adrian replied. "I told Angeal to let him remain there so you can retrieve Sephiroth personally. You must hurry, he has already been down too long for a displaced traveler."

"Right, come on, Zack."

"Right," Zack grinned in Adrian's direction. "I'm sorry I didn't get your name," he pointed to himself. "I'm Zack Fair."

"Adrian Strife."

Zack blinked, and then he frowned before a surprised expression took over his face. "Strife? Did you say Strife? But wait, doesn't that mean...?"

"Come on, Zack!" Cloud grabbed his friend wrist and dragged him to the glowing gate a few feet away. "Time's wasting."

"Cloud! Wait a second! Is that your dad?" when he received no reply, he turned back to Adrian who was wearing a dreadfully amused smirk. "Sweet Minerva! That is your dad! Look at that grin! It's the freaking same." he waved his hand as he passed through the gate. "It's nice meeting you Cloud's dad."

"Nice meeting you too, Zack! Take care of my boy, you hear?"

If Cloud thought going from gate-to-gate was bad, then he was sorely mistaken. Going from the second to the fifth haven was _horrible. _His stomach was in knots and he felt bile rising up throat, but regardless of his feelings, he kept a tight grip on Zack who was constantly shooting him looks of concern.

As he arrived at the gate directly leading into Valhalla, Zack came next to him and patted him on the shoulder. Swallowing, he turned to the elder male and flushed when he spotted the look of concern.

"You okay?" Zack asked, floating next to him. "You look like you're gonna puke at any moment. Is this similar to your motion sickness?"

"Very," Cloud confirmed, placing his free hand on his stomach. "But, I'm okay," he turned back to the glowing gate. "Ready to see, Angeal?"

"Not really, but might as well go for it."

Cloud grabbed Zack's hand and squeezed, once again flushing at the look of surprise. "It's going to be okay, you know? It's not easy seeing a loved one here. I cried like a baby when I saw my dad again."

"Yeah, it was same for me with Essai and Sebastian, friends of mine."

"See?" Cloud cooed. "Everything is going to be fine."

"Yeah," Zack took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know, I'm ready now."

Keeping his hand in Zack's, Cloud pressed a hand to the gate and hissed as they were sucked in. He braced himself as his feet landed harshly on the ground. Stumbling, he rose and let out a impressive hum at the sight of Valhalla.

"Wow." Zack whistled from beside him. "This place is impressive." he reached over and tapped a golden column. "Is this real? Maybe we can take a piece of it home."

"No souvineirs." Cloud tapped his foot while looking around the gorgeous display of gold and metal. "Sephiroth! Sir? Are you here?"

"Angeallllllllll." Zack called out as his voice faded away. "Angeal! It's Zack, come out, come out, wherever you are."

"They are not here, currently." a smooth voice drawled from behind them. "Perhaps I can help?"

Upon seeing who it was, Zack groaned and slapped his forehead. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"It's good to see you again, Zack."

Snorting, Zack gave the newcomer a snarky grin. "I wish I can say the same to you, Genesis."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen : Saying Good-Bye.

Cloud remembered the man standing before them. How could he forget? Genesis Rhaspodos. SOLDIER First Class. Traitor and murderer of dozens if not hundreds of Shinra's infantry and SOLDIER Second and Third Class. Genesis had turned his followers into clones and then discarded them as if they were trash. Cloud closed his eyes and shivered as he felt the spirits in the haven below him howl with pain at the massive energy Genesis displayed. He had no doubt that more than a few souls that lingered in Tartarus and Nilfhelm were some of Genesis' old comrades.

"Why are you here, General Rhaspodos?" Cloud questioned with authority he knew he didn't possess. "Why are you here in these blessed halls?"

"Blessed halls." Genesis repeated, mockingly. "There is nothing blessed about these halls, Messenger Strife. The soldiers toil endlessly, protecting the upper havens from the anguished souls below. What in your right mind would you think that these hollowed halls are blessed?"

"The Goddess Minerva." Cloud began, taking a tentative step towards the former SOLDIER. "Is the one who blessed these very halls herself. Do not stand here and mock her nor the work the residents of Valhalla do."

Genesis snorted, giving Cloud an extremely amused look. "Well, aren't you high and mighty, messenger Strife."

Placing his hand against his racing heart, Cloud pinned Genesis down with an icy glare. "I do not claim to be high and mighty as you put it. I am simply a messenger, giving peace to those who wish for it." he held his free hand out towards the former SOLDIER. "But you, you are nothing but a murderer and your presence here taints this place."

Genesis' luminous bright blue eyes, which marked him as resident of Aqua, narrowed in anger. "You have a lot of gall calling me a murderer. I am nothing of the sort."

Zack's sudden burst of laughter caused Cloud to whirl around to his friend. His heart twisted when the sound was hollow and bitter. Nothing like the laughter that was filled with joy and life.

"You? Not a murderer?" Zack wiped an non-exsistant tear from his eye. "Wow, that-that was great, Genesis. I knew you were a comedian."

"Zack-" Cloud began softly, only to be cut off when Zack sent him a stare that would make any grown man cry, but it did succeed in having Cloud taking a step back from the weight of it.

"You," Zack began, his tone menacing. "You were the one caused the deaths of so many SOLDIER's and you were the one who led Angeal down the path he went down! So, don't you stand here and act as if you're innocent. If anyone has the right to be put in Tartarus then it's you, Genesis! You and that whack job Hollander."

"You act as if you're are free from sin, free from burden, Zachary." Genesis stated coldly. "When it comes down to it, weren't you the one who put an end to Angeal? Weren't you the one who struck him down?"

"_Shut up!" _

"No, Zack, wait!" Cloud reached for his friend's arm only to miss it by a hair's breadth. He watched, horrified as Zack's and Genesis' blades collided, creating a shockwave strong enough to crack the columns in the room and shatter the windows.

"Stop it, Zack, Genesis!" Cloud roared as the two SOLDIER's continued clashing. "You can't fight here-" he winced when Zack knocked Genesis into the wall, successfully blasting the red-head through it. As he was about to race forward to stop the two men, a blur of silver and black rushed past them and Cloud blew out a sigh of relief when Sephiroth stepped in-between Zack and Genesis bringing their fight to a permanent stop.

"That's enough." Sephiroth ordered. "These halls are a sanctuary, a haven for warriors. You shame it by locking blades with one another."

"Move Sephiroth," Zack hissed, his mako eyes flashing dangerously. "I'm going to have the pleasure of killing this bastard again."

"That's enough, Zachary," a smooth, familiar voice call out from behind. "You know better than this. I taught you better than this."

Mako eyes gleaming with unshed tears, Zack lowered his blade, turning his head to face Angeal, who was staring at him with fond disapproval in his eyes. The sight of that was enough for Zack to slide to his knees. Cloud cautiously stepped forward, dropping to knees and gathering Zack into his arms, smiling sadly when his friend clasped his arms tightly almost to the point of pain, but he didn't mind. Looking up, he gave Angeal a meaningful look causing the older male to step forward, ruffling Zack's hair once he was within reach.

"It's good to see you again, Zack."

As climatic as Zack and Angeal's reunion was, it, fortunately, ended on a anti-climatic note. Cloud watched, content as Zack and Angeal talked quietly, his pulled his into a small grin when Zack made erratic movements which caused Angeal to throw his back in laughter.

"I do not know if it is good for them to see each other." Sephiroth murmured from beside him, causing Cloud to startle a little. "Their parting will be much harder than it was last time."

"Partings are never easy, sir," Cloud stated, thinking of his own father's death. "This is why regular humans were never given the ability to descend. If you could see your loved ones so easily then you would never let them go." he watched as Zack hugged Angeal tightly before reluctantly releasing the taller man. Turning away from the heart-breaking sight, he stared the General in the eye. "Now that we're all together again, we can finally leave the Lifestream."

"Indeed," relief was clear in Sephiroth's voice and Cloud found himself mentally agreeing with it. "Do you have any idea how long we have been gone?"

Quickly counting the difference, Cloud replied. "At least five days. I have no doubt that they're probably looking for us by now."

"A fruitless effort." Sephiroth remarked coldly. "Especially since they have no means to enter the city."

"Which gives us more than enough to time to get back and out." Zack remarked, walking towards them with Angeal in tow. "I have a feeling that the Cetra are going to give us a little trouble."

"We don't have to land inside the city, exactly." Cloud remarked. "I just have to make sure there's an exit gate." he frowned suddenly, when he didn't realize where an exit gate was. He was about to confess when Angeal spoke up, his tone apologetic and grim.

"I'm afraid the only exit gate is within the Forgotten Capital." Angeal turned to Cloud. "Unfortunately, it is in the very center of the city."

"Great," Cloud blew out an irritated sigh. "Just great."

"Do not worry, Cloud, we will handle it." Sephiroth soothed, he turned his gaze to Zack. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Zack sent a sad grin in Angeal's direction. "See you around, eh?"

"Not too soon." Angeal gave Cloud and Sephiroth stern glances. "Take care of him, understand?"

xxxx

Cloud was quick to figure out that carrying not one, not two, but three people through the gates of the Lifestream was no easy task. Many times throughout the journey, Cloud found himself almost passing out when they reached the second gate.

"Are you alright?" Sephiroth questioned, grasping his hand tightly in an effort to keep him awake. "We can stop and take a break."

"No," Cloud murmured, pushing himself past the second gate. "I'm fine, we're almost out."

Tightening his grip on both SOLDIER's hands, Cloud quickly broke through the first gate and through the exit gate. Letting Zack and Sephiroth through first, Cloud stumbled through, dropping to his knees in exhaustion.

"On your feet, Cloud," Sephiroth ordered suddenly. "We're going to need you."

Slowly lifting his head, Cloud startled at the sight of the Cetra capital. What was once the beautiful, flawless city was now nothing but ruin and carnage. The buildings were destroyed and one fire and the mutilated bodies of the Cetra lay in the street, cold and still.

Grasping his rifle in his shaking hand, Cloud stepped behind Zack, whose hand was tightly grasping the buster sword. He turned to Sephiroth who had his own blade in hand. He didn't have to guess that this new conflict wasn't going to end well.

For anyone.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen : Remnants of the Cetra.

The Cetra capital, a city that Cloud had come to hate and love all within a span of a day, was nothing but a remnant of it former self. The ivory buildings had fallen into themselves, destroyed by bombs and magic. The plant life that seemed to dominate more than half of the capital was now burnt and beyond recognition. He didn't have the heart nor the stomach to look at the bodies plaguing the streets.

"This definitely looks like Shinra's handiwork." Zack murmured, closing his eyes and sending a quick prayer as the bodies drifted off into the Lifestream. "I can't believe they would go so far."

"You should not be," Sephiroth stated, narrowing his eyes at the younger SOLDIER. "You have seen the damage Shinra has wrought."

"Yeah," Zack whirled around to face the General, his mako eyes blazing. "I remember Banora and Medeoheim. I haven't forgotten them-"

"We don't have time for this." Cloud cut in viciously, gripping his rifle tightly, his trigger finger twitching. "We have to find out what happened to this city and leave. If that's even possible to do at this point."

"It's possible," Sephiroth assured him calmly, almost to calm for Cloud's liking, but he shouldn't have expected anything less from the General. "The two of you are going to head towards the exit while I go to the palace to find Lady Ifalna."

"I'm pretty sure Ifalna doesn't want nor need to see us, sir." Cloud murmured, casting Zack a hesitant glance, which was returned full-heartedly. "If anything, it's most likely that she's...dead."

"We are not sure of that, Cadet." Sephiroth remarked sternly. "If Shinra is indeed behind this then I have no doubt that Hojo has come along and gone straight for her."

"That's a good thing!" Zack cried out, running his hands through his hair. "She deserves it after all the hell she put us through! Literally."

"I-It's not good, Zack." Cloud sighed, shaking his head. He couldn't believe he said that. If anything, Ifalna deserved whatever Fate Hojo wrought on her. "If she gets captured then she would probably tell Shinra that I'm a messenger and then where we would be?"

"Getting our asses away from Shinra." Zack stated as if it was the most simple thing in the world. "I'll be damned if I let Hojo or anyone from Shinra lay a hand on you."

Cloud blinked, processing the words that came from his friend's mouth. He didn't just..? His friend didn't just say he would defect from Shinra because of him? Shaking his head, he gave Sephiroth a helpless glance who returned it with a solemn look and a grim frown.

"We will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, Cloud." Sephiroth said. "Even defect from Shinra. You may not know this, but you are one of the few reasons that we are still there. In SOLDIER there's no such thing as honor nor is there such a thing as mercy. I lost faith in this company the moment I found about how Angeal and Genesis were brought into this world."

"You can't mean this." Cloud whimpered. "Both of you have worked so hard to get where you are today. So don't stand there and say you'll give it up so easily."

"We can and we will." Zack made his way over to him and took him into his arms. "Now come on, we have to get out of here."

Leaving the Cetra capital was not as easy as entering it. Time and time again, Zack and Cloud ran into multiple Cetra soldiers who were arm to the teeth and much to their horror, tossing out magic without the use of materia. Both men had no choice but to hide behind a large stone statue of Minerva and wait until the soldiers tired out.

"How long do you think this is going to take?" Cloud asked, whipping out and firing off a few rounds before hiding again. "It could be hours before they're exhausted."

"Eh? Don't jinx it!" Zack rolled out behind the statue and casting a few thundaga spells and retreated back to the statue. It was looking a burnt at this point and he honestly didn't know how long it was going to last. "They'll exhaust themselves soon enough because of the high-level spells. They aren't casting first level."

Nodding his head in agreement, Cloud leaned back against the statue and after what seemed like hours, the sounds of magical fire and the sounds of the Cetra soldiers faded away. Risking a peek, Cloud was befuddled when he found all of the soldiers had disappeared without a trace. He tossed Zack a questioning look which was returned with a confused stare.

"Lucky us, eh?"

"I wouldn't count my chocobo's." Cloud murmured, keeping a tight grip on his rifle as he slowly came out from behind the statue. After all, the soldiers could be hiding in one of the remaining buildings that were standing.

"I'm not going to let this little bit of luck pass us by." Zack grabbed Cloud's wrist and dragged him towards the entrance where, much to his surprise, Reno of all people were waiting.

"What the hell, yo!" Reno looked pissed and worried. "Where the hell did you three go? I thought you were dead."

"Is that why you were attacking this city?" Zack asked. "You really shouldn't have done that, Reno. We might have risked a war with them-"

"I don't care and it's not as if we can't win any damn way." Reno nodded his head towards the exit. "Come on-where's Sephiroth?"

"He's dealing with Lady Ifalna, the leader of the Cetra and Zack, we really shouldn't have left him with her. He might-" Cloud stopped when Zack gave him a startled glance, his mako eyes telling him shut up. "He might be in danger."

"Danger?" Reno blessed them with a disbelieving look. "Are we talking about the same Sephiroth?"

"No, we're talking about his clone." Zack snapped. "Yeah, we're talking about the same damn, Sephiroth, you idiot! He's not invincible."

"You're preaching to the choir, slick." Reno drawled, waving his weapon towards the exit. "Sephiroth can take care of himself. The both of you can now take your exit stage left."

"Zack," Cloud pleaded. "We can't leave him behind."

"I know we can't, but didn't we promise him that we would leave?" Zack questioned, gently pulling Cloud towards the exit. "If he takes too long then I'll come back alright?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Let's go already, people." Reno ordered. "Rude isn't going to be waiting for much longer. I may be his partner, but I wouldn't put it past him to leave my ass here."

* * *

As Sephiroth suspected, the palace was in total chaos. The once pristine halls were now blood-stained with the servants and soldiers who resided there. Not for the first time, the General felt a shiver of disgust race down his spine at Shinra's actions. As he raced down the hall, he took a sharp right turn at the sound of a piercing scream. Withdrawing his sword, he came to a stop when Aerith and Hojo came within sight.

"Professor?" Sephiroth demanded, raising his blade. "What is going on?"

Hojo whirled around and Sephiroth found himself staring into crazed gray eyes. The General tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade, aiming it at Hojo's neck. "I will not ask again."

"I am here to finish what you were ordered to do, Sephiroth." Hojo spat. "And this girl, Aerith, is going to be my way to the top."

"Let her go, she's done nothing wrong."

"And yet, according to her mother, she tossed you into the Lifestream." Hojo cackled. "And one Cloud Strife chased after you. I should have known that young boy held so much potential. It is a mistake that I will never make again."

"What are you-" Sephiroth stopped, a chilling feeling settling over him. "What have you done?"

"I have done nothing." Hojo murmured. "Yet."

* * *

A/N : So, everyone is back topside and Hojo has done something, but what?


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen : Within Their Grasp.**  
**

"What in the hell do you mean we're leaving?" Zack snapped, peeking his head into the pilot seat where Reno and Rude were situated. "In case you two haven't noticed, we're still missing a person. Sephiroth, remember?"

"We're well aware of Sephiroth's absence, Lieutenant Fair." Rude spoke up, reaching a gloved hand forward and starting the chopper. "But, we have our orders to get you and Cadet Strife back to Shinra as soon as possible."

"Isn't Sephiroth usually first priority?" Cloud questioned, feeling wary all of sudden. It did seem strange to him that the Turks would leave Sephiroth behind, knowing that he was valuable to Shinra, more valuable than Cloud was anyway.

"You two have information on the capital that Shinra wants." Reno elaborated. "And they want that information fresh, yo."

Information, Cloud repeated to himself, casting Zack a worried glance, it didn't make it better when the SOLDIER First Class returned the look with one of his own. Was the information they had more important than waiting until Sephiroth boarded. No, no it wasn't it. Not to Cloud and from the look Zack was sporting, not to him either.

"We can't leave." Zack said firmly. "Not until Sephiroth arrives."

"And I'm telling you," Reno grasped the controls, giving Zack an irritated look. He couldn't stand SOLDIERS sometimes. They were a bunch of arrogant pricks a good part of the time. He never bunched Zack in with that particular group, but he was inching there more and more each day. "That we can't stay any longer. There's another escort for Hojo. Sephiroth will hop a ride with the Quack."

"Reno." Rude drawled, his tone warning. "Don't call him that-"

"It's true." Reno cut in, wearing a wicked smirk, his green eyes gleaming with mischief. "He's a quack and that's being tame with it."

"We need to go." Rude intoned, frowning. "Now."

"No! We aren't going anywhere." Zack said firmly, reaching through the two seats and grabbing one of the controls. "We're not lifting off until Sephiroth is seating on his perfect ass here in this copter."

"Let go, slick," Reno warned, reaching a free hand for his EMR. "I like you, but I will shock your ass into incoherency."

"Zack," Cloud whispered, laying his hands on the SOLIDER's strong back. "There's nothing we can do, okay? I know you don't like it, but Sephiroth can take care of himself."

"Cloud? Do you really think that?" Zack questioned, turning and grasping Cloud's hands in his own. "You really think that Sephiroth will be alright on his own?"

"Of course, don't you?" Cloud replied, blinking in confusion at the sad look his friend directed towards him. Sephiroth was a strong, capable man. Who wouldn't think that he would be alright on his own? And besides, it was the General who commanded them to leave in the first place.

"He's going to feel like we've abandoned him." Zack stated, finally pulling his hands away from Cloud's. "And that's already happened to him. Twice."

Cloud didn't need to ask whom Zack was talking about. Angeal along with Genesis were Sephiroth best and only friends before Zack came into the picture. He would never forget the chaos those two wrought during those days. Sephiroth was indeed a capable man, but one would never realize that no matter how strong you were, you still need people around you. People who cared about you.

"Cloud?"

"I-we need to go back and get him, Zack." Cloud pulled away and wrenched the door to the helicopter open. "We need to go back!"

"We can't, yo!" Reno pulled the control towards him, causing the helicopter to jerk and rise from the ground. "We're leaving, now!"

"The hell we are!" Cloud jumped out of the helicopter, grinning broadly as Reno cursed at him as he did so. He set off at a dead run once his booted feet touched the ground.

"Cloud? Cloud, wait up!" Zack roared from behind. "Wait, damn it."

"Hurry!" Cloud panted out, slowing down enough for the SOLIDER to catch up before racing off again. He couldn't believe that he was going to leave Sephiroth behind. What kind of comrade-no, what kind of friend was he? Cloud didn't have time to contemplate his guilt further for Zack grabbed his wrists and forced him into a harder run.

"Hey! Get back here."

"Honestly," Zack chuckled breathlessly. "Do they think they can catch a SOLIDER and a Cadet?"

"You sound awfully confident." Cloud snorted bitterly, halting to a stop as they entered the city. It was quiet and thankfully, most of the city's occupants who died faded away into the Lifestream. He had no desire to think about the chaos Shinra's attack had wrought on the havens.

"Aren't I always-hey there he is-why does he have Aerith?"

Following Zack's line of sight, he frowned when he spotted Hojo, Aerith and Sephiroth. The General was looking more pale than usual and Aerith looked downright frightened. What was going on? Where was Ifalna? The thought of her dead crossed his mind and he quickly pushed it away. It was possible that Shinra soldiers had disposed of her because of what she did to them, but Hojo wouldn't be so stupid as to kill a full blooded Cetra, would he?

"Lieutenant Fair, Cadet Strife." Hojo greeted smoothly. "Or should I say, Messenger Strife?"

"Excuse me?" Zack asked, shooting Sephiroth a betrayed look. "What makes you think that Cloud's a-"

"Lady Faremis has decided to divulge your secret to me in exchange for Shinra halting the attack on the capital, but it is too bad that she didn't decided quick enough to save her mother's life."

"Bastard." Zack hissed, his mako eyes blazing with anger. "How could you do something like this?"

"For the sake of science, you fool." Hojo remarked, giving Zack a bored look that incensed the SOLIDER further. "I'm going to take a very good look at both Cloud and Aerith."

"You're not going to touch them." Zack placed a gloved hand on the hilt of his sword. "You see, Hojo, you're not going to leave this city alive."

"Can't let you do that, slick." Reno drawled from behind. "I don't like him, but I can't let the doc die."

"You wouldn't want to hurt this poor dear, would you, lieutenant?" Hojo cackled, cocking his hidden gun and pointing it at Aerith's head. "It'll be a shame to let her brains splatter against the walls."

"Zack." Sephiroth murmured. "Enough."

"Fine," Zack snarled, lowering his arm back to his side. "Just don't hurt her, alright?"

"I have no intentions of hurting my precious experiments." Hojo looked vaguely offended as he lowered his own arm to his side. "I have many things to do with her after all."

"Please!" Aerith sobbed heavily, tears trailing down her pale cheeks. "Let me go! Where is my mother?"

"Your mother is dead, stop whining." Hojo muttered, harshly pushing the Cetra into the arms of the Turks, who looked uncomfortable. "Get her to the helicopter."

xxxxxxx

Coming back to Midgar in handcuffs was not how Cloud imagined going back. And from the looks Zack and Sephiroth were wearing. Neither were they. He gently pulled at the cuffs, wincing when they pulled against his wrists, leaving a red mark against his skin.

"What do you plan on doing with Cloud?" Zack demanded.

"That's none of your concern, lieutenant." Hojo replied, smirking as Zack attempted to reach him across the helicopter, he would have succeeded had not it been for Sephiroth hand grabbing his arm and Aerith's whimper. "I will do with them as I please," he continued.

"We'll see," Zack muttered, planting himself next to Cloud. "We'll see."

"Don't start making threats, yo." Reno put in from in his position from the front. "I don't want to tell on you anymore than we already have to."

"What do you mean?"

"We hid information from them, Zack." Cloud elaborated gently. "Basically, we sent them on a wild goose chase when what they wanted was sitting right in front of them all along."

"Smart boy," Hojo purred darkly, licking his lips. "Something else I should have noticed."

Shuddering at the sight, Cloud forced down the rising bile in his throat and scooted closer to Zack who placed an arm around him in comfort and apology. He had no desire to see such emotions in his friends eyes. Especially since it was no fault of Zack that this even happened. He risked a glance over and spotted Aerith staring at him with something akin to fear and helplessness. Not wanting the woman to be scared, he pulled his lips into a sincere smile which seemed to work to some degree.

"Approaching Midgar, ETA ten minutes." Rude announced dully. "Professor Hojo? President Shinra and his son Rufus are awaiting your arrival."

"Why?" Hojo questioned, or rather, demanded. "I have no business with either of them."

"Call it curiosity." Reno put in cheerfully. "They wish to see the two people who will put their plan for a Neo-Midgar on the map."

"I'm not going to do anything for the likes of you people!" Aerith screeched, surprising all of them. "You killed my people, my mother. I will make sure every single one of you pay for what you did."

"Ha!" Reno roared with laughter. "I knew you had some fire in you, Aerith!"

"It is Lady Faremis to the likes of you." Aerith hissed, struggling against the ties around her. "Shinra will pay for what they did! I promise you that."

"Silence yourself, girl." Hojo snapped viciously. "You will do nothing of the sort. If you have any grace as a princess left then you hold your head high."

"For what?" Cloud spat, glaring at Hojo and ignoring Sephiroth's warning glance. He couldn't help but feel proud of Aerith, despite not knowing the girl well enough. "What pride is it to be experimented on like some dog?"

"We're here," Reno announced, and the helicopter landed to emphasis his point. "Let's get out and get this over with, eh?"

Cloud was hefted up and guided out of the helicopter by a reluctant Zack. He stepped down and was face to face with President Shinra and his son, Rufus. He glared at them both when they smirked at them, their eyes greedy.

"Welcome to Midgar, Lady Faremis." Shinra greeted joyfully. "And welcome back, Messenger Strife."

"I find it amazing that you were able to hide in our ranks for so long, Strife." Rufus remarked gently. "I would personally place you with the Turks if your circumstances were different."

"I would not join even if my circumstances were different." Cloud bit out, hissing when Reno nudged him in warning. "I will always, always prefer SOLIDER over those murderous Turks."

"Cheeky, isn't he?" Shinra chuckled smoothly, roughly taking Cloud's chin in his ringed hand. "Well, messenger strife would be happy to know that he is no longer apart of Shinra and his rank is hereby stripped. As a matter of fact, you are no longer known by Cloud Strife. You are just an experiment."

"Go to hell," Cloud hissed, spitting in Shinra's face and smirking when the larger man spluttered in outrage, his face was forced to the left when the president backhanded him across the face.

"Take both of them to the labs and the two SOLDIERS to the the directors office." Shinra ordered, digging out a hankerchef from his coat pocket and wiping the spit from his face. "I will let Lezard deal with them."

"Cloud! Let him go!" Zack roared, struggling in Reno's and Rude's arms. "Don't you touch him."

"Easy slick," Reno soothed, dragging Zack towards the metal doors leading into the building. "We'll see your boyfriend soon enough."

xxxxxx

"What you two have done is incomprehensible." Lezard crossed his gloved fingers under his chin. "It goes against everything that SOLIDER stands for."

"I have no intention of apologizing, sir," Zack remarked, saluting and staring blanklessly ahead to the screen where Aerith's and Cloud's face were blantantly shown. What was happening to them? Were they being tortured or worse?

"Zack." Lezard called out firmly. "Pay attention."

"Where are Cloud and Aerith? What's happening to them?"

"That information is classified." Lezard replied tonelessly. "You don't need to worry about. What you do need to worry about is your next mission."

"My next mission?" Zack spluttered. "We're not being punished for our involvement?"

"Oh, you're being punished, just not how you think you are. Shinra could ill afford to demote either you or Sephiroth; seeing as you are the only ones left in the SOLIDER First Class and the only one who was capable is now in Hojo's hands."

"What is our next mission?" Sephiroth questioned.

Lezard silently slid over a file which Zack grabbed and ripped it open. His eyes widen as he took in the mission specs. This couldn't be right. He glanced up at Lezard to find the director grinning, albeit, sadly.

"You are serious?" Sephiroth asked, reading the specs over Zack's shoulder. "You know what this means, do you not?"

"I know exactly what it means but risks such as these are nessceary for the preservation of the Planet. I do this and pray that Minerva will show me lienecy in the end."

"Let's hope that she will do that for us all." Zack murmured, clenching the papers in his hand. He couldn't believe that this opportunity came to them. This chance couldn't and wouldn't be wasted.

"Come," Sephiroth ordered. "We have much to prepare for."

* * *

A/N : So, this story is coming to an end soon. Surprised? I am. I didn't realize how close I was coming until we reached the Cetra capital. Next chapter will be the last. Cloud and Aerith's torture and escape. See you guys soon.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the game Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter Twenty : Minerva's Children. **  
**

Pain. It drummed through his veins. It caressed his skin like fire, and Cloud wanted nothing more than to escape the horrible feeling. But, he couldn't, for he had no idea where he was nor did have any clue as to who was causing his pain. He felt something prick his skin and the action caused him to open his eyes and immediately shut them again as a blinding light pierced his sight. He tried lifting his arms and legs only to realize that he couldn't and his movement cost him as pain shot up and down his body. He released a soft whimper and opened his eyes again, his vision more clearer and less painful than his first attempt. He slowly turned his head and almost wanted to let a bitter laugh escape his dry throat as he took in his location. Of course he would be in a laboratory, but which one he had yet to figure out. Thinking back, he remembered Hojo giving him some kind of shot as he struggled in the elevator. The last thing he really remembered was reaching for Aerith who was already unconscious at that point.

He didn't want to think about what was being done to her. Poor Aerith. She had done nothing wrong. Her people had nothing wrong and yet they were killed for their precious connection to Gaia. Their queen was killed and their princess was being experimented on like some dog. Despite his anger towards Ifalna and Aerith's actions, he didn't want to harm them, he didn't want them to suffer as they were now.

"Professor." a nasally voice murmured from his left. "He's awake."

"Oh?" Hojo questioned and Cloud shuddered as Hojo greasy face came into his sight. "Cloud? Cloud Strife?"

Cloud didn't respond, merely staring into the scientist dark eyes. He had no plans of responding to anything Hojo had to say or anything he planned to do. He had a burning urge to ask where Aerith was, but pressed it down. He would find out soon enough.

"How much mako did you give him?" Hojo demanded, pulling away from the messenger. "It was not above the dosage I requested was it?"

"N-No, sir, it was the exact amount, but it could be that he's weak against the mako injections-"

"Impossible." Hojo interrupted swiftly. "He is a messenger, one with Gaia, even less so than the Ancients so he should have a very good reaction to the mako. His biology allows him to transgress the Lifestream. He should have not have a weak reaction against the mako."

Mako? Cloud frowned, glancing at Hojo at the corner of his eye. What reason could they have for injecting mako inside of him? If it had the right reaction then it would only heighten his senses as it did with SOLDIER.

"In case you are wondering, the mako injections will give you enough strength to descend into the lifestream as long we please." Hojo hovered over him again. "Lady Faremis is quite useless at the moment so I'm turning my attentions to you."

"Where...?" Cloud croaked out. "Where is she?"

"Oh?" Hojo chortled, sending a shiver down Cloud's spine. "Now you deem us worthy of your voice?"

"Where. Is. She?" Cloud demanded, struggling against his restraints. "What did you do to her!"

"Even if I were to tell you there is nothing you could do about it." Hojo stated silkily, running his weathered hands through Cloud's sweaty blond locks. "Now, be a good messenger and lay still before something happens to dear Freya."

"W-What?" Cloud struggling instantly ceased as his mother's name escaped the insane man's lips. "What did you do to my mother? You'd better have not laid a single finger on her!"

"Be quiet boy." Hojo snapped viciously, harshly pulling on Cloud's hair and causing the boy to flinch harshly at the action. "As I said, if you cooperate then no harm shall come to either women."

"No more harm than you have already done." Cloud snapped back weakly. "What do you plan doing with me anyway?"

"I don't want you, I want what you can do for me." Hojo released him from his restraints. "Come with me, and don't try anything funny. For all you know, a Turk may be sitting in your mother's home right now pointing a gun at her head and goodness knows what's going on with Aerith..."

Stifling a growl, Cloud rose from the metal table, clinging the edge when his legs suddenly gave out. He grasped both hands to the edge, sending a deadly glare to the two guards who had stepped towards him to assist him. With a gentle heave, he righted himself on his feet, cursing when he stumbled a final time.

"Are you done?" Hojo drawled sarcastically. "I don't like wasting valuable research time."

"I am aware of what you like, Professor." Cloud drawled, a nasty smirk painting his dry, chapped lips. Now wasn't the time to be smartass, but then again, when was the right time for anything?

Ignoring the scientist glare, he followed Hojo out of the room and down the empty hallway. As they walked in silence, he turned his gaze to the clear windows that were displayed, shivering as the monster experiments clawed or licked at the window, moaning and groaning for the freedom they would never have.

"Precious aren't they?" Hojo questioned softly. "Some of my earlier creations which are going to released into the wild soon, but the Midgar Zolum will take care of them soon enough."

"I don't think I need to mention what a sick bastard I think you are, right?" Cloud stopped at a plain metal door with a metal plate stating it was the third laboratory. What kind of freaky experiments did Hojo did in this one? The hallways seemed pretty empty and smelled clean, like a hospital really. So, what did this mad man do here?

The hiss of the door opening drew Cloud out of his thoughts. He stepped inside after Hojo and instantly narrowed his eyes at the sight of the room. It was like all other labs. It had its tables and computers, but what really drew Cloud's attention was the large white glyph in the very center of the floor. It looked like-

"A descending glyph." Hojo stated, his nasally voice echoed through the quiet murmurs of the lab workers stationed there. "According to my findings this is what you messengers used to travel to the lifestream, correct?"

"Children."

"Pardon?"

"This is what children used to travel the lifestream." Cloud elaborated further. Of course he hadn't seen one in so long, but he remembered the beginners glyph which his mother used for him to practice once he was twelve years old. That was when messenger children started training.

"I see," Hojo looked thoughtful, placing a greasy hand to his chin and rubbing it absently. "So, there is no need for this? You have no need for it?"

"No," Cloud admitted grudgingly. "I can descend well enough on my own." It made him sick to his stomach admitting such a thing to Hojo, but what choice did he have? Aerith's life and the life of his mother was at stake.

"Very well then," Hojo acknowledged. "Show us what you can do, hmmm? Descend into the boundless energies of the lifestream."

Cloud stood beside Hojo for another lingering moment, clenching his fists before moving his feet and stepping into the glyph. He stilled his hands and sent Hojo a heated glare. The man looked like a damn cat who just finished off a canary.

"Any requests?" Cloud spread his arms out, his own bright blue glyph appearing underneath him and overtaking the white one. "Texts? People? Objects?"

"None." Hojo waved his hand impatiently. "Just descend and come back."

Closing his eyes, he slid into the Lifestream, for once, thankful that the energies surrounding him like a blanket. He was thankful for its comfort, however silent.

* * *

Attacking Shinra.

It was a stupid. It was insane. It was suicide. It was something that only people who had nothing left to lose did. Zack Fair had something to lose. He had plenty to lose. His parents and his home, but what good did being SOLIDER was if he couldn't protect everything? His family, friends and home? What good was being SOLDIER if he couldn't keep safe the one reason he got up and put on this blood-stained uniform every morning?

"Are you ready?" Sephiroth questioned quietly standing beside him. "We only get one chance at this and we cannot afford to fail."

"Who are you telling?" Zack snorted, rising from his squat and stretching his arms. "We bust Cloud and Aerith out of here, but where would we go? Shinra is everywhere."

"I do not have all the answers." Sephiroth admitted, his face closing off. "But, I know that we will be fine in the end."

"That your instinct talking?" Zack asked softly whilst leaning against the wall. They had made it to the sixtieth floor where most of the science labs resided, but the problem was finding the right lab where Aerith and Cloud were. If they managed that then their real problem would be getting out of the building intact and not full of bullet holes.

"Yes," Sephiroth spoke up after a short pause. "That is my instinct talking as you put it." he turned, his silver hair sliding off his shoulders at his movement. "Come, we can't linger any longer than we already have."

"Right," Zack chuckled. "Can you believe that Lazard?" keeping an eye on the empty hallway for any guards, they checked several of the empty labs to find nothing. "His mission to us?"

"Preserve the Planet." Sephiroth stated softly. "A last request, a last mission to us as our director. It seems fitting, yet, ironic."

"True-shit," Zack hissed, stopping in the middle of the third hall they were checking. There, just a few feet away stood two second class SOLIDER's. It was nothing they couldn't take care of, but fighting second classes was going to cause a ruckus.

"Calm down." Sephiroth chided gently. "No one but Lazard knows of our plan so most of Shinra thinks that we are on their side and what does that mean...?"

"It means we can use our ranks to get Cloud and Aerith out before they can sound the alarm. But, I gotta a feeling Aerith is going to be easier to get than Cloud. I wouldn't put it past Hojo to already forcing him to descend into the Lifestream."

"Then we have no more time to waste. I'll ask again, are you ready?"

"I'm ready." Zack grinned bitterly, answering all of Sephiroth's questions with his reply. He was ready to betray Shinra. He was ready to leave this life behind and go on the run for what was most likely the rest of his life. But, it was worth it. Cloud Strife was worth giving everything up for because he knew his chocobo would do the same in a heartbeat.

Sephiroth grinned, his green cat eyes shining with amusement, loss, pride and so many other emotions that Zack couldn't even begin to describe. It made him wonder just what the General was giving up by doing this. His reputation? He was pretty sure that Shinra was all Sephiroth knew and it must be hard for him to be giving up the only thing he knew, but he had a feeling that Sephiroth wouldn't be too sorry at the loss.

Approaching the two second class SOLIDER's, Zack nodded his head at their sharp salutes. "I need to get in there."

The two SOLIDER's tensed at his request and some part of Zack should have known better, but hey, a man could hope, right? As he began to repeat his request, the two men in front of him collapsed suddenly causing him to step back. He turned to face Sephiroth who had a light green materia in his hand.

"Sleep?" Zack blurted out, caught between hysterical laughter and amazement. Why didn't he think of that? "You put them to sleep?"

"I know a lot of these men." Sephiroth picked up one SOLIDER, mentioning for his smaller comrade to grab the other. "I want to avoid as much bloodshed as possible."

"Right," Zack murmured solemnly, dragging the man inside the room and gently placing him inside. Rising to his feet, he glanced around the small room and grinned sadly as he spotted Aerith on the small bed, she looked like a true princess with her light green and white dress flowing around her. She may look peaceful now, but he knew it was going to be a different story once she rose. He stepped closer and startled when Aerith's emerald eyes locked with his own.

"You're awake?"

"Yes," Aerith murmured, rising from the bed and letting her hair fall around her. "I have been since you came in. Are you two here to rescue me?"

"Yes, it is the least we can do after what Shinra did to your home." Zack winced when Aerith's eyes flashed in anger. Right. Sore subject.

"It is a small compensation for what has happened to my people, but it is enough for now." Aerith strolled past Zack and up to Sephiroth, who stared down at her impassively. "Where is he?"

"In danger." Sephiroth stepped aside to let her out. "We find him and leave. No theatrics and no breakdowns, understood?"

"Perfectly." Aerith stepped out of the door and yelped as the alarm blared and covered the room and hallway in red. She covered her ears and turned back to Zack and Sephiroth, her eyes furious. "What is going on? You tricked me!"

"No one tricked anybody!" Zack snapped, cursing when he heard a multitude of footsteps coming towards them. "Damn it! We should have known that it wasn't going to be this easy. It's fucking Shinra."

"Enough talk." Sephiroth gently pushed Aerith in Zack's direction, unsheathing his sword with his free hand. "Knock out as many as you can and head to Hojo's labs."

"What about you?" Zack demanded, keeping a firm grasp on Aerith. He wouldn't put it past her to run into the fray and get herself killed. She seemed like the reckless type if you looked hard enough.

"I'll will be right behind you."

Zack nodded his head, he would have to use magic to get through since his hands had to be free to keep hand on Aerith. It should be too much of a problem, right?

Shooting out of the room, Zack sent a wave of fire towards the infantry and wondering just how many of them were Cloud's comrades. He quickly suppressed that thought and sent few ice spells their way, blasting them back and creating a path for them to run through. He quickly grabbed Aerith's hand and ran back towards the elevators, he tossed a quick glance behind him to see Sephiroth behind them, quickly catching up. Stepping inside, he pressed the button for the sixty-third floor, stumbling when it moved.

"Why are we going up?" Aerith demanded. "Shouldn't we be going down?"

"We're going to get Cloud and if we're lucky then we can get out of here without running into the Turks or having to jump out of the windows to escape." Zack couldn't help but smirk when he saw the frightened look the princess gave him for his blunt words. Though he released it as a joke, he knew that they were going to have to do something drastic to escape. For you see, nobody betrayed Shinra and got out completely unscathed.

The elevator screeched to a stop and Zack held out his hand and unleashed a low level bolt spell as soon as his eyes locked onto a Turk. He didn't wait to see if the man would get back up, instead dragging Aerith down the hallway and taking a sharp right turn towards Hojo's labs.

"It's up ahead." Sephiroth stated from beside him, throwing out his own bolt spells and knocking some third class SOLIDER's out. His heart twisted uncomfortably at the thought of hurting his men whom he went on a mission with more than once. They would understand what they were doing in time.

Zack burst through the doors of the lab just in time to see Cloud rising from the Lifestream and collapsing, his face pale and sweaty and his blond hair slick with sweat. The cadets uniform was ripped to shreds and he didn't want to know which haven he had been sent to.

"I see that you have come to get your friend." Hojo stepped out of the shadows, grinning maniacally. "You are free to take him, but it would do you little good."

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" Zack snarled, rushing over to check on his friend. He turned him over and checked his pulse, blowing out a sigh of relief when he found one, as weak as it was. "What did you do to him?"

"The boy just dived into the Lifestream. He just merely filled his given birthright, nothing more, nothing less." Hojo waved a hand towards the door. "I have all the data I need. You can take him. I no longer need him."

"You-"

"Zack." Sephiroth called out sharply. "Let him be, we have more things to worry about at the moment."

Snarling quietly, Zack lifted Cloud effortlessly into his arms and turned to Aerith and Sephiroth who looked relieved to see the younger man breathing let alone whole, but looks were deceiving.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

Without a second glance, Zack, Sephiroth and Aerith departed from Hojo's labs and back down the maze-like hallways. Surprisingly enough, they didn't have much trouble getting to the elevator, but it seemed that their luck quickly ran out.

"What the hell." Zack murmured, shifting Cloud in his arms and staring up at the blaring number. It had stopped at fifty-two. "Is the damn thing broken?"

"No." Sephiroth pressed the button, scowling when it didn't move. "It was probably stopped manually." he stepped back when the elevator doors open and Reno's lanky form appeared with Tseng and Rude flanking him.

"I should have known it would be you, Zack, but Sephiroth? I don't know how you managed to drag him into this." Reno stepped into the elevator, leering at Aerith. "I'm kind of curious about how you're going to get out of here, yo."

"Fight our way out, what else?" Zack stated, giving the red-head a deadpanned look. "And we'll go through you if necessary."

"Now, now, no need to be so damn rash." Reno muttered, leaning against the elevator wall. "We ain't got no intention of fighting you."

"Oh really?" Aerith questioned softly. "Then why did you stop the elevator? It couldn't possibly be to talk?"

"That is exactly why we stopped it." Tseng said lightly. "We are aware of the mission Lazard assigned to both of you." the lead Turk eyes landed Cloud. "For the preservation of the planet and the survival of the cetra and messengers. We have to get the both of them out and away from Shinra."

"Why are you doing this?" Zack asked curiously. "You're Turks! You're supposed to be pro-Shinra not anti."

"What can we say?" Reno shrugged carelessly. "It is the least we can do after what happened and Tseng here is pretty damn stubborn about letting you guys get away."

"We will escort you to the helipad and Reno will fly you to Mideel and that is as far as we can take you." Tseng reached over and punched three numbers on the elevator panel before it jerked and began ascending.

"This is great and all, but what's going to happen to all of you if you get found out?" Zack grimaced. "Shinra isn't lax about making people for betraying them."

"We'll take care of it." Rude stated vaguely, grunting when the elevator stopped and pinged announcing their arrival at the top of the building where the helicopter was waiting. "Now, let's get going."

Zack stepped out of the elevator, adjusting Cloud's weight as he moved towards the helicopter. He did not bother to look back at the building he called home for more than four years; no longer having any kind of attachment to it. He gently laid Cloud on the passenger seat and placed the blond's head on his lap, finally looking up as Aerith and Sephiroth strapped in. The both of them looked wary and Zack didn't blame them for it. He, too, was wary about letting the Turks take them anywhere, but what choice did they have?

"Good luck to you, Zack, Sephiroth and Aerith." Tseng spoke, standing in the open door of the helicopter. "I hope to see you again one day."

"You'll have to excuse me when I don't return the sentiment." Aerith bit out, crossing her arms. "I want nothing to do with Shinra."

"Understood, but I wish you the best all the same." Tseng stepped back and closed the door leaving three of them in silence. Zack risked another glance at Aerith to see the woman on the verge of tears and for the first time he wanted to join her.

"What are you going to do?" Zack asked her. "Will you go back home?"

"One day I will go back, but with Shinra on the loose, I do not want to taint my home more than it already is." Aerith murmured, lowering her head so that no one could see her tears. "W-What will you do, Zack?"

"Stay low in Mideel for a bit and make a living for Cloud and I." Zack ran his fingers through the younger man's hair. "I don't have any plans beyond that. Sephiroth? Staying with Cloud and I?"

"No, I believe I will travel the world for a while." Sephiroth closed his eyes, missing the surprised stare Zack sent him. "I am too well-known to stay in one spot." he tugged at his silver hair. "I will have to do something about this as well."

"Whole new wardrobe change, eh?" Zack chuckled bitterly. "It looks like we're all going to have to do that."

"You're going to take care of him, right?" Aerith asked firmly. "You're going to take care of Cloud, right?"

Zack grinned at the Cetra princess, showing a row of perfect teeth. "I'm going to take care of him with everything I have."

* * *

The sounds of footsteps against the sand was what caused Zack to look up from his book. He grinned at the sight of slim feet in flip-flops and turned his head to see Cloud staring down at him with his hands on his hips and a glare in on his lightly tanned features.

"Is there where you've been all day?" Cloud asked, taking a seat beside him on the sand next to him and grabbing the book from out of his hand. "And reading Loveless no less? I figured you would have had enough after Genesis."

Zack shrugged, glancing at Cloud from the corner of his eye as the blond flipped through the pages. "I wanted to see what was so good about it and most of the poems remind me of you."

"Of me?" Cloud closed the book quietly and let it stay in his lap. "How does it remind you of me?"

"You know, the words about the Goddess and infinite mystery and all that crap." Zack chuckled when Cloud slapped him on his arm gently. Three blissful months had passed by since their departure from Shinra and it was on pure luck that the company hadn't come after them, but he was sure that they were turning their attentions to Sephiroth who was currently dodging them as if they were nothing.

"You're thinking again." Cloud teased, breaking him out of his thoughts. "What's on your mind?"

"Sephiroth." Zack rose to his feet, stretching his arms and staring out into the boundless sea. "I hope he's doing alright. Mideel is hot with rumors about him right now."

"The last I heard he was in Cosmo Canyon, but that was weeks ago." Cloud murmured. "I know Sephiroth can take care of himself which is why I am more worried about Aerith."

Aerith, Zack huffed at the thought of the Cetra royal. Three weeks after their arrival in Mideel, she had disappeared into the night and after a week of fruitless searching no one had seen hide nor hair of her. He would have said good riddance, but that would have earned him a disapproving glare from his charge and lover.

"I'm sure she's alright. She moves like Sephiroth when she wants and she's more than capable of taking care of herself, but we can search for her if you want?"

"No, not right now," Cloud shook his head, his blue eyes filled with worry and wariness at the thought of going out into the world once again. It was too soon for him despite being three months since he woke up in Mideel. It took him weeks to even considering going back into the Lifestream after Hojo's experiments. The thought of it still ran shivers down his spine.

"You sure? We're going to have go back out sooner or later." Zack grinned at the thought. He was not one to stay in one place for too long, but understood the necessity of staying low for the time being.

"Yes, I'm sure, but if we hear anymore rumors about Sephiroth then we will have to go after him sooner or later." Cloud laid back against the sand, sighing as it cooled his skin. "I can't stand the thought of him out there alone."

"_My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I? All that awaits you is a somber morrow. No matter where the winds may blow; My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess. Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return." _

"Cute." Cloud deadpanned. "Make me worry more why don't you? That poem is horrid."

"It describes our situation perfectly." Zack chuckled bitterly, before quieting down and saying his next words. "One week from now, do you want to go look? For Sephiroth?"

"He could be anywhere, we would not even know where to look!"

"That's the fun of it, we explore this entire continent and the next to find him and we might even run into Aerith? Well? What do you say?"

Cloud remained silent for a moment before nodding his head. "Yes, let's go find him. After all, he can't be left to his own devices for too much longer."

"Alright!" Zack pulled Cloud up from the ground and pulled him into his arms. "We're going on an adventure! Just you and me."

"Just you and me." Cloud whispered, laying his head on Zack's shoulder. "We're going to be okay, right?"

"We're going to be fine. _Even if the morrow is barren of promises. Nothing shall forestall my return; to become the dew that quenches the land To spare the sands, the seas, the skies. I offer thee this silent sacrifice." _

"Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." Cloud looked into Zack's bright eyes and grinned. "For everything."

* * *

A/N : And so the story ends with Zack and Cloud taking off to find Sephiroth, which gives me plenty room for a sequel!

Thanks for reading guys!


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